


We're in Hell

by CrystalFlame360



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Final Fantasy IX, Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Survival Horror, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18839776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalFlame360/pseuds/CrystalFlame360
Summary: After Ashley gets kidnapped during a trip to the mall, Leon must save her before anything serious happens. However, after securing some help, from a group of strangers no less, Leon and his new team get thrust into a situation beyond their control. Can they make it out of the situation alive with the President's daughter? Or will they succumb to their terrible fate?May Contain:Possible gory scenes (unlikely, but possible)OC that serves as an antagonist (there is)Out of Character moments (could happen due to plot events, but could be unintentional)





	1. The Mall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> This is another story that was originally published on Fanfiction.Net. And I don't know what else to say, except for what I said on FF.Net:
> 
> "I've made lots of versions of this story, only one getting published, I decided to combine some versions of this story together. Planning has actually gotten into this version, and from my plans, it's much better."
> 
> Now, some of the warnings I gave on Fanfiction.Net don't apply here. Why? Because, on this site the tags are more...is 'flexible' the word I'm looking for?
> 
> The warnings weren't anything severe, just me explaining that it may say that it's a Resident Evil and Silent Hill crossover, but other series' will also be starring in it. This is because if you've used FF.Net, you'll know that you can have only two franchises down; here, it seems you can have a lot. As it's a combination of versions I've done in the past, it has Final Fantasy IX and maybe other series' in it; on FF.Net, I always put a disclaimer for Metal Gear Solid...not this time though...I'll do it when the time comes.
> 
> This story is going to be weird and it's also an AU (Alternate Universe), so expect stuff to not be the same...this has gone on long enough...
> 
> No flames, please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil, or its characters; CAPCOM does.

It was a rather pleasant day; the sky was a clear blue, not a single cloud in the sky, and the sun was shining bright. The weather was warm, and there was a lovely summer breeze.  
  
Unfortunately for Leon, he had to take Ashley, the President's daughter, to the mall to meet with her friends. They were going clothes shopping, while, probably, talking about boys and checking them out. This kind of trip wasn't the agent's cup of tea, but, as her body-guard, he had to go with her.  
  
Since the incident in Spain, involving the Los Illuminados and parasites, Leon had to look after the President and his family, Ashley mostly. He even had to live in the White House. It was great, for the most part; he got the pleasure of living in the White House, a comfortable bed to sleep in, and the meals were delectable. However, there were also downsides to him living with the President's family, such as the fact that his room was next door to Ashley's, so he had to hear her giggling on the phone all evening, getting little sleep as a result; he also had to eat whenever Ashley ate, which wasn't too bad, and go wherever she wanted to go, which was rather unfavourable, hence why he was on this 'fabulous' trip with her.  
  
So far on their journey, no words were exchanged, it was silent; only the sound of the radio was preventing the drive being awkward. Leon wasn't as fond of the music as Ashley was, so he turned it off.  
  
"Leon! I was listening to that!" Ashley shrieked, reaching for the radio's 'on' button.  
  
"I wasn't," the agent said, flatly, gently swatting the girl's hand away from the radio.  
  
"Oh, come on, Leon!"  
  
"We're close to the mall now, so we don't even need it."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Huffing, Ashley sat back in her seat and folded her arms, looking ahead as she could see the mall slowly coming into view.  
  
"Stop being childish," Leon sighed. "How long are we going to be there anyway? 15 to 30 minutes, or -"  
  
"2 hours, 3 at most," the girl replied, unbuckling her seat-belt, as the car came to a halt in the mall's car park.  
  
Knitting his brows together, Leon turned the key and took it out. Before he could even remove his own seat-belt, Ashley was already out of the car, standing outside as she waited for the blonde male to get out. Once he was out, they headed towards the mall entrance.  
  
Upon reaching the automatic double-doors, the pair heard screeching behind them, followed by, "Ashley!"  
  
Knowing what was to come next, Leon covered his ears. As if on cue, he heard another screech, followed by, "Hey, girls!"  
  
_'This is going to be a long day.'_  
  
"Leon, get over here!"  
  
Looking behind him, he saw Ashley and her group of friends, as to be expected. Who did he think it was? The President coming to save him? Nah...  
  
He could still dream.  
  
As he headed towards the group of girls, he heard one of them ask: "Who is he?" followed by two different voices, saying, "He's cute," and "Is he your boyfriend?"  
  
_'Typical.'_  
  
"No, he's not my boyfriend," Ashley replied, with a slight blush. "He's my body-guard," she added, as if she was showing off the latest new toy that everyone wanted on the playground at school.

"You have a body-guard?!" One of her friends asked in awe, as she flipped her curly black hair over her shoulder.  
  
"Who's good looking no less," added another one of her friends, as she placed a pink phone in her red handbag.  
  
"I'm soo jealous, I want one," stated the third friend, as she started to clean her glasses.  
  
Leon shuddered; this was starting to make him feel uncomfortable.  
  
Noticing the agent stood beside her, with an expression that showed discomfort, she decided to introduce them.  
  
"Leon," she started. "This is Bridget," she said, as she pointed to the girl with the curly black hair. "Alex," she pointed to the girl with the red handbag. "And Sasha," she pointed to the girl with glasses.  
  
"OK, so now that the introductions are out of the way," started Bridget. "Can we start shopping now?"  
  
"Totally! C'mon, Ash!" said Sasha, as the girls went through the door, with Leon, unwillingly, following.  
  
The mall was busy, most likely due to the warm weather. It was filled with life, of course, why wouldn't it be? The place was a hot-spot, so it was busy most of the time, especially on Christmas time.  
  
There were a wide variety of items there, such as clothes, jewellery, perfume, toys, video games, board games, and even more; heck, there was even a café, an ear-piercing studio and a tattoo shop.  
  
The place was known as heaven to all ages.  
  
Although there were all these nice places to look at, the girls were just going to shop for clothes, and clothes, and maybe shoes, too.  
  
Firstly, they looked at some tops, which didn't appeal much to Leon. Ashley took a liking to a top that showed off her midriff and cleavage. The agent wasn't going to bother explaining to the President why his daughter chose that out of the plentiful amount of appropriate ones for sale. He'll let her explain. Then, they looked at some pants and skirts, which also didn't appeal much to Leon. Ashley took a liking to a pair of pants that came with a red belt.  
  
Luckily, for Leon, the day was coming to a close and they were going to leave. His arms were starting to ache with all the bags he was carrying, so he was looking forward to putting the belongings in the boot of the car, then make his way home.  
  
"Oh my god!" Alex screeched, causing Leon to promptly cover his ears, and drop the bags. "Look at those cute dresses!"  
  
The other girls looked to where Alex was pointing in excitement. There were, in fact, dresses there, in a variety of different lengths, colours, sizes, and designs.  
  
More screeching.  
  
"They're on sale!" Ashley stated. "Leon, can we take a look?"  
  
The agent didn't know what to say. The President said they had to be home by 4 o' clock, no later than that, and the time was 15:23. With the time it would take to put the shopping in the boot, drop Ashley's friends off home, and get themselves home, they would be back a little past 4 o' clock, which was a little late, but, maybe the President would let it slide. If checking out dresses was added to the list of things to do, they would be back way past 4, which would result in Leon's head being on a stick; President Graham's words exactly.  
  
With those thoughts in mind, Leon told them, "I'm sorry, but we can't waste time looking at dresses. Your dad wants you home by 4. Maybe, we can look at them next time."  
  
With pouts on their faces, the girls went anyway, with Ashley saying, "there won't be a next time, Leon, it's a sale."  
  
_'Why bother asking?'_ he thought, as he picked up the bags, and followed while glancing at his watch. **15:25**  
  
They were trying dresses on, and messing about, which was starting to get on the blonde's nerves. After what felt like forever, the agent glanced at his watch. **15:43**  
  
"OK, we have to go now. Buy whatever dress you like and let's go," Leon instructed.  
  
As the other girls did as they were told, Ashley just stood there. Her arms were folded, and she looked annoyed.  
  
"What?" Leon asked.  
  
Just after he asked, the power went off in the whole mall, causing people to gasp. Ashley whimpered, as she started to inch behind a big, puffy wedding dress.

Removing his gun from its holster, Leon glanced around to see if there was anything out of place; such as suspicious people, or something dangerous that doesn't belong. He saw nothing, only the faces of worried people.  
  
Maybe, he's just being paranoid. Maybe, it's just a power outage.  
  
Suddenly, the smashing of glass was heard, followed by purple smoke engulfing the top floor. Civilians started to scream, as footsteps and gunshots rang out.  
  
Running up the escalator, which now wasn't on, the agent saw innocent people collapsing on the floor, either due to the smoke, or having a bullet in their head. These horrific acts were being performed by men in black tactical gear and gas masks, and a lot of them.  
  
_'What the-! Why were they doing this? What do they have to gain from this?!'_  
  
Behind him, he heard a crash and more screams. Turning around, he saw that his question had been answered. One of the men had pulled Ashley from her hiding place, while she screamed and tried to punch her captor. Before Leon could act, he felt a barrel make contact with the back of his head, followed by darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm aware this chapter isn't good, but it's the only time you'll be exposed to this...
> 
> When I wrote this chapter, it went through a lot of changes, until I settled on this. Trust me when I say it was much worse in its earlier stages. I really hope this chapter didn't put you off reading more...or my long as anything notes, or in my case, speeches from the heart.
> 
> Plot picks up next chapter guys and girls!
> 
> Improvements are greatly appreciated.


	2. And So, It Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'll keep this short!
> 
> Story, somewhat, starts here. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> No flames, please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters. Resident Evil belongs to CAPCOM, and Silent Hill belongs to KONAMI.

Upon regaining consciousness, Leon was met with a throbbing sensation at the back of his head, and complete darkness. Sitting up, whilst opening his eyes, he saw that he was lying at the top of the mall's escalators in almost complete darkness, surrounded by dead bodies.

How long had he been out for?

Looking at his watch, he frowned to see that it was cracked and broken, the time stuck on **16:00**.

 _'Great,'_ the agent thought, as he picked up his gun off the floor, and stood up. He felt like he had been hit by a bus, what had happened? But then, it all came back to him in a flash. Suspicious men broke into the mall, people were killed, and Ashley...

He had to look for her.

Going down the stairs, he saw that there was nobody in sight; not even Ashley and her friends were anywhere to be seen, however that man may have succeeded at getting away with Ashley, but despite this, he still felt that he had to look for her. The dresses were no longer on their hangers, instead all over the floor, and the dress mannequins were knocked over and damaged. Gunshot holes were also on the walls, and, as expected, the windows were smashed, letting in a cool breeze. He could also see that it was dark outside, too.

"Ashley!" He called.

Nothing.

He heard breathing. Was it Ashley?

Listening closely, he followed the sound of the breathing to the entrance of the dressing rooms. It wasn't Ashley he saw, but one of her friends. Alex. She was lying on her back, eyes closed, in a puddle of her own blood, a gunshot wound through her chest. Her chest was caked in blood, and the red liquid also ran from her mouth, slowly. How she was still alive, Leon didn't know, but at least someone survived. Maybe, she could tell him where Ashley was, after he got her medical attention; she really looked like she needed it.

"Hey," he whispered, as he shook her. "Wake up."

Slowly, her eyes opened, to reveal red orbs. Taken aback by this, the agent stared. He had seen this before, at Spain four months ago; it was one of the symptoms of being infected with the Las Plaugas parasite... but she can't be infected, as the parasite wasn't in America as far as he knew. So, why...?

Before he could ponder further, the girl stood with a scream. As she turned to face him, he heard her neck, and the rest of her body, crack as she moved.

Without thinking, he aimed his gun, ready to shoot if she attacked. With a loud moan, Alex lifted her right arm to point at Leon, as she said, "Die!"

At an unexpected speed, she rushed at him. The agent shot at her, however, she kept dodging every bullet he fired, and with one bullet left in his clip, he managed to pierce her eye, causing it to splatter in her socket. It stunned her for a short period of time, as she gripped her eye with a howl. With a scream, she looked at him, sharp teeth bared in anger, as red jelly ran from her right eye socket. Quickly, the agent went to reload his gun, when he was tackled to the floor, causing him to drop his gun. Bony fingers wrapped around his throat, as the girl hissed at Leon, the blood from her eye dripped onto the agent's shoulder.

He couldn't get her off of him.

As his eyes were about to close, he heard a gunshot, followed by the sight of the girl's head exploding, making her to let go of Leon and fall to the ground, motionless.

A little dazed, the agent sat up, gasping for air as he picked up his gun.

"Thanks for the help," he said, between gasps. "Whoever you are."

"You're welcome," a voice of a female replied, as a silhouette walked down the escalator. When the shadow came closer, he could make out a teenage girl, with shaggy, dishevelled, layered, chin-length blonde hair, with brown roots showing. She had hazel eyes, and a side swept fringe covering her right eye. "Are you okay?" she asked, as she stood in front of the agent.

"Yeah," he replied, as he reloaded his gun. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you? You look a little young to be wielding a gun, which makes me doubt that you're an undercover cop."

"I'm Heather," the girl said, as she held out her hand. "And you are?"

"Leon," he returned the handshake with a small smile. "Leon Kennedy. So, what brings you here?"

"Well," she sighed. "I was just looking around this area for supplies, and I got curious when I noticed that this mall was quiet. Sure, the logical explanation would be to say that it was closing time, but I've been to this place before, and they don't usually close until eleven o'clock; it's only eight o'clock, or somewhere close to it, so, I went to investigate after noticing that the windows were broken. I wasn't expecting to see dead people and monsters, though."

She glanced around her surroundings, then looked down at the dead monster on the floor, before sighing again, but in relief. "I'm glad I did check this place out, who knows what would have happened to you if I hadn't." She then rapidly shook her head, as if trying to shake off an image she didn't want to see, and turned to the direction she came from. "It's not safe here," she said suddenly, as she reloaded her gun. "My Dad should be waiting for me somewhere around here, and I could ask him to give you a lift home, if you want."

"Sorry, but I have to decline that offer, I need to find Ashley, if I don't find her -"

"Who's Ashley? Is she, like, your daughter? Sister?" Heather asked with curiosity, as she turned to face the agent again.

"No, she's the daughter of the current President, actually," he replied a little sheepishly; he was hoping that he didn't have to explain the fact that he failed to do a simple task, which was to protect her.

"Really? She's the President's daughter?" the girl said in awe; that look was then replaced by a smirk. "Is she a friend of yours? Something more?"

"No, no, no," Leon answered quickly, trying to stop himself from laughing. That had to be the third most absurd thing he'd heard in his life; the first was being told that zombies and monsters were real, which was unfortunately true, and the second was Ashley asking him for 'overtime.' Collecting himself, he answered. "I'm an agent for the U.S. Government, working as a body-guard for Ashley, while President Graham is in power. She was kidnapped by men in black, and I really need to find her."

"Oh," Heather looked in thought, trying to process the information. "That's a big deal..."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the rushing of footsteps, followed by groans, and a parasite emerging from the stump that was once Alex's head, as she stood. A horrified expression appeared on Heather's face, as she readied her weapon and aimed at the parasite. Before she could fire, the rushing footsteps became louder, and the parasite started to remove itself from Alex's head and crawl towards them like a spider.

"Shit! We need to get out of here!" Leon yelled, as he grabbed Heather's arm and ran out of the smashed window.

As they ran down the darkened street, Heather screamed, "what was that thing?! It's like a gross -"

"I'll tell you once we're somewhere safe," the agent replied, as a red jeep pulled up next to them.

The windows rolled down, revealing a man in his early thirties, with gelled brown hair and dark blue eyes. "Get in," he said in a monotone voice. Without question, the pair got in.

Leon looked out of the back window, to see people, no, monsters rushing to catch up to no avail.

"Heather, who is this? What happened?" the brunette man asked with concern.

"Oh, that's Leon. I'll explain more when we get to the motel," she replied, shakily.

"Hmm, okay."

"Who's that guy?" the agent whispered, pointing to the driver.

"That's my Dad, Harry Mason."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not too eventful, but at least it wasn't as weird as the previous chapter.
> 
> I found this chapter difficult to write, mostly due to the action scene...if you want to even call it that.


	3. Motel Meetings and Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, I lied. This is where the story truly picks up!
> 
> I can never think of anything to note worth noting...but, this is an AU where Silent Hill 3 hasn't happened. I also may have some information wrong, as I hadn't played the games in a while at the time this chapter was written, so keep that in mind.
> 
> No flames, please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters: Resident Evil is property of CAPCOM and Silent Hill is property of KONAMI.

The car journey was long, too long; Leon didn't even know where they were going. His thoughts were mostly filled with questions: What did those men want with Ashley? And what was he going to do from there on out? He couldn't just stand there; if the President found out that his daughter had been kidnapped with Leon on watch, he was going to lose his job, and maybe, have a wonderful time having his head on a stick.

He didn't want that happening.

Looking out of the window, Leon could see that the sky was now completely pitch black, and all the shops had closed, meaning it was quite late. He was still curious as to where he was going, and he didn't feel like interrupting Heather and Harry, who were talking about something Leon didn't feel like paying attention to.

So, he was just left with his thoughts, which weren't really pleasant to indulge in.

After, what felt like forever, the car came to a halt. Turning off the ignition and taking out the keys, Harry turned to Leon, and said, "we're here."

"Huh?" The agent looked around, and saw that they were in a car park. A Motel car park. One the agent hadn't been to before. "Why are we here?" He asked.

"There are some friends we'd like you to meet," Heather said, with a small smile on her face, as she got out of the car. Harry had already gotten out, and was waiting for Leon to get out, so he could lock his car.

Stepping out, the agent glanced around. He really didn't recognise the place, and he was glad he didn't. The concrete had this white, dried liquid on it, and the outside of the motel itself looked dilapidated and the windows had wooden barricades on them. It was definitely not the kind of place a snobby, rich person would stay in.

"Cresswell Motel," Harry stated, as he locked his car. "It's not the best place to stay, but at least it's better than nothing."

"Yeah," Heather looked down. "There was nowhere else to go."

"What do you -?" Leon was cutoff mid-sentence.

"Let's get inside, it's not safe," Harry urged, sounding somewhat, uncomfortable, as he headed towards the building, followed by Heather.

"I guess you're right," Leon agreed, as he followed the pair inside.

The inside didn't look like the kind of place you'd find a rich person staying in either. The wall paper was a rotting yellow colour and torn in random places, damp could be seen in the corners of the roof, and the carpet was green, with tears in it, revealing the laminate flooring underneath; which looked like it needed a good mopping. There were no paintings of flowers or meadows on the walls, and the furniture looked unkempt and sickening to look at.

"Home, sweet home," Heather sighed, sounding unenthusiastic and worn out. She sat at a wooden table, and rested her head on it, as she looked at the disgusted Government Agent, who was still looking around the room. "Take a seat," she told him, as she sat up and opened a can of energy drink, which was already on the table.

"Is that expired?" Leon asked, as he sat opposite her.

"No," she replied, with a little smirk. "I only bought it today." She took a sip. "I know this place looks gross," she sighed, "but it's all we have for now."

"Yeah, I understand," he sighed.

"Me and my Dad were talking in the car, and we decided that we'd help you find Ashley, if you wanted us to," she sat back in her seat, expectantly with folded arms. "And not just us, but we're going to have a meeting when everyone's together, and ask them if they want to assist us."

"Oh yeah, you did say there were others here, right?"

"Yeah; me, my Dad, and two others."

"Then, where are they?"

"One of them should be at a 24 hour shop, getting some food and other necessities," Harry stated, looking up from the book he was reading. "The other, should be out in the back," he pointed to a red door, that looked like it had been scratched to hell.

"Oh," Leon looked back to Heather. "What are they like?"

"Umm," Heather looked in thought for a moment, then looked back at Leon. "Henry is quiet and very emotionless, but he's a nice guy, he doesn't have one nasty bone in his body. He's the kind of guy that would listen to your problems, and doesn't even judge you. However, he can get a little violent if harm comes to anyone."

"Sounds reliable," Leon said, with a small smile.

"Yeah, he is."

"Is the other person any reliable?"

"Yeah, he is, but -"

"He's not mentally stable; I believe he has depression, so he's melancholy most of the time, and can be surly at times," Harry explained, placing his book down on a worn table beside him. "To add to that, he can be a little bit paranoid, and mostly just keeps to himself, but that aside, he is a very reliable person."

He didn't know why, but Leon started to get a bad feeling, and felt like he had to leave quickly. It wasn't the fact that their living space looked disgusting, or the fact that one of their comrades was mentally unstable, but he just had a bad feeling, without explanation. Was he just worried about Ashley's well being? Yeah, that was it. He just has to find her, then -

The sound of a door opening was heard, followed by Heather saying, "speak of the devil," under her breath. Looking in the direction where the back door was, he saw a man with dirty blonde hair, and a green jacket with jeans.

The man looked at Leon with confusion, and before he could question who the agent was, Heather spoke up. "This is Leon," she stated, "I know you may want to know why, or how he got here, but I will explain everything when Henry gets back."

"Okay," the man replied, as he took a seat next to Leon. "Do you know how long he's going to be?" He asked.

"We're afraid not," Harry spoke up, walking towards the table. "He's been gone for a couple of hours, so I'm hoping very soon."

Leon wasn't paying attention to the conversation the three were having; instead, he was wondering who the stranger was, as he looked at him through the corner of his eye. Was he that guy Harry was talking about? The unstable one? Come to think of it, the agent didn't even know the unstable one's name, so they could be different people.

"So," Leon started. "Who's this guy?" He asked, pointing to the stranger sat next to him.

"Oh," Heather let out a chuckle. "That's James, the guy we were telling you about."

"What?" the man, called James, asked raising a quizzical brow.

"Nothing," she answered, quickly. "We were just telling Leon about everyone here."

That confirmed the agent's thoughts. He was going to ponder further, before the door opened, followed by a soft voice, with no emotion whatsoever, announcing, "I'm home."

Head turning towards the direction of the sound, Leon saw a man with messy brown hair, with stubble on his face. What was strange, was the fact that Heather and Harry had stated that he'd gone to pick up 'food and other necessities.' However, although he did have a brown paper bag filled with supplies, the white, long-sleeved buttoned shirt he was wearing had patches of dirt and muck on it, and the same went for his jeans.

"Henry, what happened to you?" Heather asked, shock evident in her voice.

"Umm..." he started, as he approached the table, and placed the bag there. "I was attacked by men wearing black."

 _'Men in black?'_  Leon thought, starting to feel oddly guilty. The only men in black Leon could think of, were the men who attacked the mall, killed innocents, and kidnapped Ashley. Wanting to kidnap Ashley, fair enough, she is the President's daughter, who can be used for ransom, or some cultists plot for world domination. But, what would they want with a man going shopping? To steal his food? Rob some money?

"I was attacked on the way, so no supplies were lost," the man finished, still showing no emotion in his voice or features.

"Did they steal any money?" Harry asked, calmly, looking the man, Henry, over for any injuries.

"They didn't appear to want money," he replied.

"Do you have any idea what they wanted?" James asked, a look of concern on his face, as he looked at the brunette.

"No."

_They attacked the guy for no apparent reason?_

"There doesn't appear to be any serious injuries," Harry stated, "Just a couple of bruises and scratches."

"Who's this?" Henry asked, suddenly, looking at Leon.

"Sit down, Henry," Heather said. "I'll explain."

Henry did as he was told, and sat down next to Heather. Harry grabbed an arm chair, pushed it towards the head of the table, and sat down.

"So, to start off, this is Leon, an agent for the United States Government, who works under the President as a body-guard," Heather stated.

The men, even Harry, looked at the blonde in awe.

Stifling a laugh, the girl continued. "I ran into him a while after the mall was attacked, and he was having a bit of trouble with a very powerful foe, which appeared to be undead. After introductions were out of the way, he told me that Ashley, the daughter of the President, who he was supposed to be guarding, was missing and suspects that she may have been kidnapped. So, I brought him here, hoping that we could help."

"Look," Leon started. "You don't have to, you're just innocent civilians, and -"

"We're anything but that," James said, sounding rather morbid, as he looked down at his hands.

"What do you -"

"What he means, is that we're not 'ordinary' anymore," Harry replied. "We have literally been down to hell and back again, we have fought otherworldly monsters that we thought never existed, even in our most demented of thoughts."

The agent was intrigued by this. The brunette wasn't done.

"In that town, Silent Hill," he mumbled, looking rather angry. "My daughter, Cheryl, was stolen from me, and I'll never see her again, she was only 7 at the time. That was even worse than the monsters."

Leon was saddened by that revelation. The man had lost his 7 year old daughter.

Wait... wasn't Heather his daughter?

"We've all been through similar events, excluding Heather; myself and James being the only ones to have actually gone to the town, Henry did on holiday, I believe. Henry was stuck in his room for days apparently, and every time he went through a hole in his bathroom, he'd see hell itself, the town of Silent Hill, while being persued by a psychotic murderer. We all got to know each other when the attacks started and -"

"What?!" Leon interrupted. "This has happened in other places?"

"Yes, unfortunately. When a strange epidemic broke out in Portland, Heather and I moved to Ashfield in the hopes of escaping it. There, we befriended James, the son of the superintendent of the apartment complex we were staying at, South Ashfield Heights; as well as Henry, who lived in the same building. Sadly, the epidemic broke out there, and - here we are."

"My Dad was killed that time..." James stated, looking back up again. "It was horrible..."

"What we are trying to say Leon is that we have been through a lot worse; rescuing a girl has nothing on us. We're willing to help you, if you ask," Harry told him, as everyone looked at the agent, expectantly.

"Okay, not only will it be easier, but faster, too," Leon said, glad to have people with some experience to help him. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it! Right, so how are we -" Heather was interrupted, when men in black tactical gear busted through the door, and overwhelmed them.

Harry was held by two men at gunpoint, still sat in his chair; Heather was pinned on the ground, a knife being held to her throat; James was being handcuffed, whilst another man pointed a gun at him, and Henry was being restrained by two men, as he tried to prevent the assault.

Leon not wanting anything to happen to his new allies, or himself for that matter, aimed his gun; and was about to shoot one of the men, when he was tackled to the ground and lost his grip on his gun. He then felt something stab into his arm.

"You and your friends are coming with us, Agent Kennedy," the man said, as the blonde lost consciousness.

* * *

 

Elsewhere, in a dimly lit room, sat a cloaked figure on a throne. Beside the figure, on each side, were people who also wore cloaks. They didn't move, or speak.

The creak of a door was heard, followed by a strange man entering the room.

"Any interesting news?" asked the cloaked figure on the throne.

"We have succeeded in capturing Mr. Kennedy, Master," the man replied. "He also had a few friends with him, which we now have in custody."

"Excellent," the cloaked figure on the throne said. "Give them the 'gift' like we have done the others, and the plan will begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha! Why am I laughing?
> 
> Anyway, this chapter I thought was fun to write. This was because I really enjoy writing character interactions and all that. I do feel that the dialogue is a bit...strange, but that could just be me being critical with my writing.
> 
> Next chapter, more things happen!
> 
> Improvements are very much appreciated!


	4. An Escape Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really have to get better with chapter names; I feel like it sounds misleading.
> 
> Now, the story is starting to delve into somewhat of the crack territory; don't be surprised, you saw the tags. But it's a serious story...I think. 
> 
> When I think crack stories, I think of stories that have no coherent story, at least, that's my experience with them. This story is...something.
> 
> No flames, please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters: Resident Evil is property of CAPCOM, Silent Hill is property of KONAMI, and Final Fantasy IX is property of SQUARE ENIX .

Leon woke with a start in what appeared to be a cell with a thick steel door, so he couldn't escape easily. Upon closer inspection, the agent noticed that it had a slider, either to bring food in and out, or so his kidnappers could mock him. Judging by the fact that the door had a red light near the handle, the door was electronically locked, meaning it could be a while before he got out; he may have to pray for a power outage, or something. The room itself, looked dull, and was pretty chilly. From where Leon was facing, he could also see the toilet, which was nauseating to look at, and the odour emitted from it was foul, making the agent scrunch his face in disgust.

Looking back to the door, a thought occurred to him, well, more of a question; what did the men in black want with him? What did they want with Heather and the other three? He couldn't think of a very good reason, and was still feeling groggy from, what he believed to be, a drug he was injected with so he couldn't put up a fight on the way to this cell. He also had his equipment taken away from him too, as his gun was no longer in its holster, and neither was his knife.

With a slight groan, the blonde placed his hand on his forehead, in an effort to dull the headache that had been present since regaining consciousness. He had to think of a way to get out, check if his new allies were okay, and save Ashley; that was the main priority.

He had to make a start, there was no use in sitting there and waiting for stuff to happen; that's Ashley's game, not his.

Standing up, he immediately felt light-headed, and clutched his head, using his free hand to hold the wall for support. "Shit," he cursed to himself. Why did he feel like he had been hit by a truck?

"Hey, are you alright?"

The agent heard a voice, one that sounded concerned. However, he saw no one else in the room, so how... maybe he was just losing it.

"Behind you," the voice told him.

Great, the agent felt that dazed he couldn't think logically, or clearly for that matter.

Turning his head to face the direction of the voice, he saw a teenage boy with layered blonde hair, tied into a short ponytail and blue eyes. Although he was just a kid, Leon couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by him; there was nothing threatening about him, in fact the kid had a baby face, a friendly face to be looking at; however, the fact that the agent could see a monkey tail on him, made him feel uneasy.

Shaking off the feeling of unease, Leon answered with, "Yeah," and sat back down against the wall. His eyes never left the kid. The blonde didn't want to think about why a kid was his cell-mate, or even why he was there. Leon also wanted to know where they were; did the kid know?

"Hey kid, could I ask you something?" the blonde asked, as he brushed his fingers through his hair.

"Go on ahead, but it better not be personal," the kid replied with a grin, as he approached the agent, and sat opposite him with his legs crossed.

"Don't worry, it won't be personal," the agent told him, as he tried not to glance at the kid's tail, which was swaying left and right. "Do you know where we are?"

"Sorry, I don't," the kid's grin faltered, as his tail stopped moving. "I'm just as clueless as you are."

Another question hung about in Leon's head, one that seemed really important now; how did the kid get there, and what did the men in black want with him? He didn't look like a threat, just strange. Couldn't hurt to ask.

"How did you get here?"

The kid just stared for a moment, before looking down, his tail twitching. "I don't know. I'm kind of an actor, and after performing a show, I took a sip out of my water. I guess I passed out, because I woke up here," the kid looked back up. "I must have been drugged, or something, since I woke up feeling like crap."

"How old are you?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow. "A kid your age shouldn't be using such language."

"I'm 16," the kid replied, folding his arms. "That allows me to use whatever words, or phrases I want."

"Really?" The agent replied, with a smirk. "You're a little short for your age, aren't you? And that face of yours looks like it belongs on a 12 year old boy, not a teenager."

"Think whatever you want, but I'll grow taller one day," the kid replied, with a smirk. "And then who's gonna be laughing?"

Leon smiled a little, but went back into thought.

_'He's 16, so that makes him a minor. What do the men in black want with a kid?"_

"So, what's your story?" The kid asked, dragging Leon out of his thoughts. "How did you get here?" He looked at Leon with interest.

"Well, I work as an agent for the United States Government, under the President as a body-guard," Leon started, which made the kid look at him with the same awe as Harry, James and Henry. He knew he shouldn't go around telling everyone he met, but if he wanted people to trust him, it was better that they found out sooner, rather than later. "She wanted to go to the mall to meet with her friends, and when we did, the mall was attacked, and Ashley, the daughter of the President, who I was supposed to be guarding, was kidnapped. I met with these people who said they'd help, and then we were drugged and contained here."

"That must've been rough," the kid said, looking down in understanding. "Being taken against your will ain't a fun experience."

"Yeah, I know."

Silence filled the room, as Leon glanced at the window where the kid was previously sat, and saw that it was raining heavily, with lightning flashing at random intervals. How long was he going to sit there, pondering?

"Hey," the kid spoke up, breaking the silence. "What's your name? We can't be cell-buddies without being on naming terms, am I right?"

 _'Cell-buddies?'_  Leon thought. The kid was right, they needed to know each other's names, at least. He can't call him 'kid' the entire time.

"The name's Leon," he replied. "And who might you be?"

"Zidane," the kid replied, holding out his hand, which the agent shook.

"Interesting name," the agent commented.

"Thanks."

Again, the room was silent, only the sound of rumbling thunder was breaking it at random. After a while, the silence was broken by a beeping sound, signaling that the door to the cell had been unlocked, followed by the red light turning green. Leon and his 'cell-buddy,' Zidane, stared at the door in confusion, wondering whether someone was coming in to get them, or if they could make a run for it.

"Leon, the door..."

"I know," he replied, as he stood up and approached the door. Grabbing the handle, he pulled it down, and it opened with a creak. Seeing that it was his chance to escape, he turned to Zidane, who was just stood were he was sat.

"Aren't you coming?" the agent asked, looking at the kid with confusion.

"Of course," he replied. "I'm not staying here, that's for sure."

The pair stepped out into a dark corridor, which was quiet and freezing. The thunder could still be heard, but only as echoed rumbles through the metal walls of the corridor. It was best that they made their escape as quick as possible, but there were two possible ways they could go; the left side, or the right side. The left side had a rusted, red door at the end, but was also the darkest part of the corridor, and the right was a little longer to go, but a flickering light could be made out, which illuminated that way a little bit. Seeing that it looked less dark on the right side, they went that way instead. However, when they got to end, there was another two way split.

"You've got to be kidding me," Leon said to himself, as he felt dizziness return to him again.

"Leon, is that you?" he heard a familiar voice ask. Looking to the left side of the split, he could make out Harry and Henry approaching him.

 _'Thank god, they're alright,'_  the blonde agent thought, before he replied with -

"Yeah, it's me."

"It's good to see that you're okay," Henry said, still lacking emotion in both facial expression and emotion. It was starting to make the agent worry about the guy.

"I could say the same about you two."

Harry spoke up. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"I'm afraid not," Leon replied, with a sigh. "Where are the others?"

"We're afraid that we aren't sure ourselves," Harry told him. "I'm starting to worry about Heather."

"I don't blame you."

"I wonder who released us from our cells," Henry wondered, scratching his head. "Was it our abductors, or a third party?"

"Probably our abductors," a female voice stated, as the owner came from the right with a man.

"Heather, James, you're both okay," Henry still sounded unenthusiastic, but the agent could still tell he was relieved.

"Yeah, we're fine," James said. "What about you?"

"We're fine," Harry replied, leaning on the wall. "Now that we're all together, we need to think of an escape plan. I suggest that we find a map, as that will make strategising easier, and we can mark where Ashley is if we ever find out."

"That sounds like a good idea," James agreed, with a small smile. Then, a look of confusion was on his face, as he turned to look at the boy stood behind Leon. "Who is he?"

"That's Zidane, we shared a cell when we were in containment," Leon introduced the blonde boy, then looked at him with uncertainty. "He'll be helping us, if that's okay with you, kid?"

"Sure, I don't mind," he replied with a smile, as everyone, excluding Harry and Leon, eyed his tail.

"It's rude to stare, stop it," Harry ordered cooly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Harry."

"I'm Heather," the blonde stated, as she pointed at herself.

"My name is James."

"Henry. It's a pleasure to meet you," the brunette walked towards him, and held out his hand. Even Zidane looked a bit unnerved by his lack of emotion, but he didn't say anything. He just accepted the hand shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

"Now that introductions are out of the way," Leon started. "We should check what's through that red door."

"Agreed," Harry said. "Let's go."

And with a new objective, they advanced towards the red door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I strangely had fun writing this chapter. Probably the different character interactions again.
> 
> Improvements are appreciated!


	5. This Isn't Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title is amazing, I know. And no, the title is not in reference to the story itself. 
> 
> I tried to be funny...did the joke land? Was it good?
> 
> Anyway, what can I say about this chapter?
> 
> Nothing!
> 
> I remember saying on Fanfiction.Net that the chapter drained me, for some reason, but that's just about it...
> 
> No flames, please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters: Resident Evil is property of CAPCOM, Silent Hill is property of KONAMI, and Final Fantasy IX is property of SQUARE ENIX .

The red door the group had entered led to a long, dark corridor, that went in a straight line. Windows were present in the corridor, which were broken, allowing the raging storm outside to enter, making puddles and causing people that entered the room to become chill to the bone. Leon, James and Harry weren't fazed much by it, as they wore jackets, however, Heather and Zidane were the most affected due to their arms being bare. Henry, despite him wearing a thin blouse, wasn't bothered.

"It's quite dark," Harry pointed out, squinting through the darkness ahead, as he rubbed his arms in an effort to get warmer. "Does anyone have flashlights? If so, raise your hand."

Nobody raised their hands, but instead looked at the man incredulously; the brunette raised a brow in response.

"Why are you giving me funny looks?" he asked.

"You do know we don't have our stuff, right, Dad?" Heather said slowly, as if she was talking to a slow learner.

"Yes, I know that, but - "

"Our flashlights have also been taken away, Harry," James stated, pointing at his breast pocket, which no longer contained a flashlight.

"Don't be - " Harry started, as he checked his own breast pocket, to find that it was empty. "You're right, but how?"

"They must have searched us, and took anything that could benefit our escape, while we were unconscious," Leon stated. "Kidnappers do that."

"Yeah, but what harm is a flashlight going to do?" asked Zidane, with slight amusement. "I mean, you can't dig your way out with it, and you can't pick locks with it."

"But you can deal blunt force trauma with one, maybe send a signal to show that you have been captured, and possibly make escape more easy, as you can see where you are going, along with other uses," Henry said, then added to his statement with, "I never had one."

"Okay," Harry started, as he looked slightly uncomfortable. "It's going to be best if we stay close, and hope that we find some other way of illuminating our path on our journey."

"Right," Leon started. "Let's get moving; the quicker we find a lead, and find Ashley, the quicker we can leave."

"He's right," said Heather. "Lead the way, Leon."

"Okay."

The walk through the corridor seemed to drag on forever, with random flashes of lightning blinding them temporarily, the sound of rumbling thunder echoing through the corridor, the occasional sprinkle of raindrops on their faces and arms, causing discomfort, and the numbing cold getting worse as they progressed. It wasn't a journey filled with laughs and good memories to be made.

"Leon, how long do we have to walk?" Heather asked through clenched teeth. "It's cold!"

"I don't know, but I hope we won't be here long," Leon replied. "I don't have time for this."

"Neither of us do, Leon," Harry stated. "But I'm afraid it's an obstacle we all need to pass in order to progress."

"We should all know that by now," James mumbled, looking down at the ground as he walked.

Henry just nodded his head in agreement.

"Look on the bright side, at least we have one of the worst parts down," Zidane said, with a slight stutter, as he rubbed his arms quicker than he had been doing when they first entered the corridor.

"With plenty more awaiting us," Harry finished, a morbid tone in his voice.

"You're both not wrong," Leon stated, as he looked on in thought.

They were both right; there were going to be a lot of 'worst parts' on their journey, and a lot to get out of the way. He thought of it like levels in a game, they usually got harder as you progressed, but the more you cleared, the more you learn about the plot, provided the game has one, and the closer you get to the objective at hand. Come to think of it, he thought his mission in Spain felt like a video game: running around, shooting the bad guys, saving the damsel in distress and being witness to eerie environments, it just didn't feel real, but it was. He shouldn't have questioned it, he should have known that it was real, since at the age of 21, when he first arrived at Raccoon City, he was confronted by the walking dead; although at the time, he was convinced, no, trying to convince himself, that he was starring in his own horror movie, or his new co-workers were pulling a sick prank on the new guy, but again, he wasn't; he was just a naïve, rookie police officer, who just arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sometimes, he wondered how he even survived that incident six years ago. Was it due to his police training? Was it just fear that drove him? Was it sheer luck? Or was it with the help of Claire and Ada? He guessed that it was a combination of all of those possibilities, but it didn't stop him thinking about it. He thought about what would have happened if he hadn't had police training, if he was just a mere civilian who just so happened to come across the outbreak of the T-Virus; if he was lucky, he may have stumbled upon Claire, and she would have saved him, or someone might have saved him, at least, but if not, he would be in the stomach of a walking corpse, the rest of him, becoming one of them.

Shaking those thoughts out of his mind, the agent wondered why he was even thinking about this. In this current situation, he had to keep his mind clear of the past, as it could effect his performance; if his performance was effected, lives could be lost, and Ashley, possibly, being one of them.

He had to remain focused.

Spotting a blue door in the distance, Leon started to walk faster, as did the rest of the group. As they got closer, the agent started to get a bad feeling, as if something, or someone terrible was waiting for them beyond the door. Not having any equipment, made this even more nerve racking, because they had no way of defending themselves if anything were to happen. He had to think, fast. When they got in front of the door, Leon stopped and turned to everyone.

"Listen, I have a bad feeling of what is awaiting us behind this door," Leon started. "Since we don't have our equipment, if a threat were to come about, I want you all to run."

"And what about you?" Heather asked.

"Leave me, and - "

"No," Harry said, sternly "We all agreed to help you, and that's what we're going to do. If a threat were to appear, we take it on together."

"Yeah, we may have known you for a really short period of time, but we are willing to help you, and make sure that we all get out alive, including you," Henry stated. "If we were to abandon you, I don't think we'd be able to live with ourselves."

"He's right," James spoke up. "It's easier to fight with people, than being by yourself."

"I'm flattered, but - "

"Leon, please don't try to be a cliché action hero," Heather giggled slightly, determination mostly present. "Think like an average, everyday person. Playing hero could get you in more trouble than it's worth."

"She's right, you know," Zidane agreed. "You may be an agent, but you can't do everything on your own. None of us know the situation, so it's best to stick together."

"Good point," the agent sighed. He's had to play hero so many times in the past: Raccoon City, Operation Javier and the incident in Spain, he hasn't thought like a real person. He had to start. Well, he couldn't think entirely like a normal person, because he wasn't 'normal' anymore, he had a job to do; but he had to get into the mindset of not doing everything alone.

"Okay, let's go," Leon said, as he turned to the door, and took a deep breath. He had to brace himself for what was in store for him and his new team.

Gripping the knob, which unsurprisingly felt cold to the touch, he clenched his free hand into a fist, and opened the door with a creak. Stepping into the room, he glanced around, and was unnerved to see nobody in sight.

It was just a dark, empty room, which was spacious and had nothing in there, which gave it an even more eerie feel. Where was the one responsible for all this giving them a monologue of his, or her, plans? Where was the ambush of monsters coming for them? From his missions in the past, that was what Leon was expecting, and the room they had just entered seemed like the perfect place for that. However, there was nothing.

"Leon, I have a bad feeling about this room," Heather whispered, glancing around their area.

"Me too," Harry said, looking rather observant. "I think we should go."

"But, wouldn't that just lead us back from where we came?" Henry asked.

"Yes, I guess you're right."

Almost instantly after Harry replied, the room was suddenly engulfed in light, which allowed more of the room to be seen. It was as big as they had thought it was, and they didn't have to worry about walking back the way they came, as there were two doors at the very end of the room; a blue one and a red one. What was strange was that there was a table located to the right of the room, that had, what looked to be, the group's equipment on it. Before they could get their equipment and take in the rest of the room, a low, dulcet voice, which belonged to a female, piped up through wall speakers, which weren't seen in the room.

"Welcome, my little marionetas," she said, followed by a dark chuckle. "How is your stay here? Is it to your liking?"

"Who are you?!" Leon bellowed, as he took quick glances at his surroundings again; checking if he overlooked a person hiding under the table.

The voice gasped in mock horror, followed by, "How rude!" She laughed again. "My name is none of your importance at this moment in time, Mr. Kennedy."

The agent was unnerved. How did she know his name?

"Now then," she started. "I am going to explain your current predicament, if that is alright with you, Mr. Kennedy."

"Tell us," Leon sighed in annoyance.

"Thank you," the stranger cleared her throat. "I have personally selected all of you to partake in a little test I have set up. You are all going to go through hell itself, both for your own lives and for the life of the President's daughter."

"What?! Where's Ashley?!"

"Quiet, Mr. Kennedy, questions come later. Currently, we are situated on an island, made to emulate a resort town covered by a blanket of fog. This island contains many monsters too, ones created by me. Ashley is somewhere on this island, waiting to be saved, and as for where she is, I will give you a hint after you pass the first trial. Your objective is to rescue Ashley, while keeping your stress levels low."

"And why is that, exactly?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was doing some work on the Las Plaugas parasites, and made a few tweaks to them. I made their assimilation process quicker, almost instantaneous, when the host was stressed. I ought to mention that you all have been injected with that parasite, so if you get stressed, you will essentially become my puppets, that means involuntarily you will do as I say; I will have total control over you all."

Leon scowled.

"You could have picked anyone in the world," he started. "Choosing me, I get that, but why these people? They're just normal people living normal lives, two of them being kids."

"I have my reasons. Harry Mason defeated the God of Silent Hill, and even braved the horrors of that town, just so he could find his little Cheryl; James Sunderland not only braved the horrors of that town, but also discovered a shocking revelation about himself, one he does not wish to share. Heather Mason, that is what you go by now is it not, has a secret that only her 'father' Harry knows; and what can I say about Henry Townshend? He was trapped in his apartment for days, and had to go through holes, which led to nightmarish places, just to see a lot of people die. Then he defeated serial killer, Walter Sullivan and saved his friend. It is correct is it not, Receiver of Wisdom? Do you wish for me to continue, Mr. Kennedy?"

Leon couldn't answer, he was speechless. Why didn't they tell him this? Well, it was personal information. But, how did she know this?

"I take that silence as a, 'please do.' Then we have the strange monkey boy, Zidane Tribal, who is a truly interesting case, however, as much as I would love to explain, it would take too long and ruin my fun. So, I shall tell you this, I'm going to use him as a tool for revenge on a repulsive human being when this is done. The rest of you will be used to fulfil a much greater purpose, if you do not fall into eternal slumber first. Lastly, there is you Mr. Scott Kennedy, who is not only an agent for the United States Government, but also the murderer of the Los Illuminados and its extraordinary leader, Osmund Saddler. Well, I will tell you now, my aim is to bring the cult back from the dead, using all of you to help when this is over. I will be the new leader, and together we will take the world by storm!"

And with that, she went offline, leaving everyone in the room to stare in shock.

"This is not good," Leon stated, generally unnerved by the events that had just transpired.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Harry said, who was trying to think of a plausible reason, as to how this woman knew this stuff about all of them.

"Dad, what was she talking about? What is this secret about me that only you know?" Heather asked, her face being a mix of hurt and confusion.

"How did she know what I experienced in Ashfield?" Henry wondered.

James had a guilty look on his face, and Zidane had a look of shock mixed with confusion and unease; both were silent.

"And the kid being 'an interesting case,' What did she mean by that?" Harry pondered.

"We need to find answers," Leon stated. "Let's get our equipment and get going!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I just about featured something that I'm not particularly a fan of...Original Characters, or OC for short.
> 
> When done right, they can be okay, but just, for me personally, it's hard to get invested in original characters. There are very few stories that I read that include OCs. 
> 
> Why did you make an OC a villain if you hate them?
> 
> ...you'll see...soon enough...maybe...
> 
> My thoughts on the chapter? I had fun writing the beginning, and the rest of it obviously. However, it might be just me, but when I write larger chapters, I feel like it's just terrible. I don't know why.
> 
> Improvements are much appreciated!


	6. Two Doors, Two Groups

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I'll keep this short...
> 
> No flames, please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters: Resident Evil is property of CAPCOM, Silent Hill is property of KONAMI, and Final Fantasy IX is property of SQUARE ENIX .

For the first time in a while, Leon was genuinely unnerved. A stranger knew personal information on the entire group; secrets that they didn't want getting out. The stranger, the unnamed woman, could have also been responsible for their, and Ashley's, abduction, and if that didn't creep him out enough, this woman also worshipped Saddler and the Los Illuminados.

And now he just found out that they've been infected with a new type of parasite, one that responds to increased levels of stress. He wasn't liking this feeling of déjà vu.

As the agent placed his weapons back in their respective holsters, he took a quick glance around the room. The atmosphere could have been better, much better.

Harry looked oddly guilty about something, while he was picking up his equipment. While he was checking his flashlight over, to make sure that it was in working order, he took quick glances at Heather from the corner of his eye. Heather didn't even notice, she was busy setting up her own equipment, a look of hurt and sadness on her face. What did Harry know about Heather that nobody else, not even Heather herself, knew? What exactly happened to this 'Cheryl' in the town of Silent Hill? The agent remembered Harry saying that she was 'lost' in the town, never to be seen again, but why? What happened there? Wasn't Heather his daughter?

Next, Leon saw Henry, who was looking straight ahead, expressionless. He appeared to be deep in thought, as he adjusted his gun; presumably checking if the aim was okay, and the safety was on to avoid accidently killing any of the group, or other innocents. Henry was the one Leon was the most concerned about; he wasn't trying to play favourites, far from it, the agent was just concerned about the other man's mental state. Heather may not know something about herself, and Harry's 'Cheryl' may have been lost in Silent Hill, but as upsetting as these stories may have been, they sounded believable, minus Harry 'defeating the God of Silent Hill'. The part about Henry being trapped in his room for days Leon could believe, but the part about him going through holes that led to 'nightmarish places', and killing an already deceased serial killer Leon didn't get. Thinking about it was giving the blonde a headache, but was there truth to this tale? Maybe Walter Sullivan faked his death in prison just to go into hiding, and then attacked Henry. No, the news about Sullivan's death was in the news and in the papers, so he had to have been dead right? His body was even shown in a body bag! Why was Leon analysing Henry's past? It had to be true; considering the fact that the unknown woman brought it up as if it was factual, and to put Henry's reaction into consideration...

**_'How did she know what I experienced in Ashfield?'_ **

Shaking his head, Leon looked towards James, who was holding a radio, giving it a shake every couple of seconds, as he inspected it. He looked depressed, even more so than he usually did. The agent was curious as to what this 'shocking' revelation was, but knew it was best to wait for James to explain it himself when he's ready, not force it out of him; he wasn't on interrogation duty today. Leon's gaze then fell on Zidane, who was just sat there, not doing anything with a blank stare on his face. He may have finished sorting his equipment out, as he saw two holsters on his belt, one on each side, each with a dagger in them. His tail was swishing from side to side, which prompted Leon to think of what the strange woman had said about him, 'a truly interesting case;' what did she mean by that? If she meant the fact that he had a tail, then the American agent could understand why. Come to think of it, why did he have a tail? It's not a normal part of the human anatomy, unless it was some sort of genetic mutation, but Leon thought that wasn't the case. If it was a genetic mutation, then it wouldn't be fully functioning would it?

Sighing, Leon finished with the rest of his equipment, and rounded the group up to make a plan from there on out. It seemed they were on a time limit, and as infuriating as that was, they just had to suck it up and do what they had to do: save Ashley, find a way to cure themselves, then get home.

"Okay, I know most of you are going through emotions, but despite this, we still have to continue with our mission," Leon started. "If we don't, we'll be in a lot of shit."

"He's right," Harry agreed, as he placed his flashlight in his breast pocket. "We can't afford to waste time moping over the fact that a stranger knows our pasts. We have to get a grip, and as hard as it is for me to say this, the past is in the past. Right now we have to focus on our current situation, and forget about the past for now."

"As right as you are, Harry, it's not that easy to forget about your past," James said, sounding as down as he looked. "Some things happen that you just can't forget about, especially the negative memories. The feeling of losing someone stays with you forever."

"Yeah, but it's your choice to sit there and cry about it," Zidane spoke up, not with his usual upbeat tone, but with a more serious and genuine one. "You can think about it all you want, but you still have to move on with your life and focus on the present. I'm not trying to sound insensitive, I'm just trying to give you advice. I know losing someone isn't great, but I don't think they'd like the thought of you not moving on with your life."

"I agree," it was Heather's turn to talk. "Mary might be gone, but your memories of her remain; she lives on through those memories. She even told you to move on with your life in that letter."

"Mary?" Zidane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Letter?" Leon looked just as confused as the younger blonde.

"Oh, you don't know?" Harry asked, as if it should be obvious.

Both blondes shook their heads in response.

"Mary was my wife," James replied. "She died three -" he cut himself off mid-sentence with a scowl, before saying, "never mind."

"Anyway," Heather continued. "Let's get back on topic."

"Yes," Harry cleared his throat. "There appears to be two doors here, a red and a blue. I think it would be best if we split up into two groups of three people. Leon will lead the first group, I will lead the second. In my group, I will have James and Henry, and we'll be going through the blue door." He then turned to Leon. "That means, Leon, you will have Zidane and Heather, and you'll be going through the red door."

"Don't we all get a say, Harry?" Leon asked, not really fond of being told what to do by a civilian.

"No. I want to keep an eye on these two," Harry stated, gesturing towards James and Henry. "I trust Heather will be fine with you, and I believe the boy would be more comfortable with you, as he's known you the longest."

"Fair enough," Leon replied, as he watched Harry and his group approach the blue door.

Turning towards his group, Leon took his gun out of its holster.

"Come on, let's go."

With that, the trio approached the red door. Through the door was, unsurprisingly, a red corridor that appeared to contain fog, or smoke. The room was humid, very humid, and due to that it was hard to breathe; the air was almost suffocating. There were pipes in the room that were emitting hot steam, which would most likely explain the humidity and smoke in the room. Leon had his gun gripped tightly in his right hand, prepared to fire if necessary, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that. Heather and Zidane were following closely behind; the former with her gun clenched in her hand, and the latter with each of his hands on his dagger sheaths.

The corridor appeared to become wider, and patches of rusted, metal grating could be seen on the floor, as the trio could hear a creaking noise above them. Looking up, they could see nothing out of the ordinary, just a red ceiling with large patches of black in the shape of squares. As slightly odd as it was, it didn't appear to be threatening in any way. The creaking sound persisted, leaving the trio confused as to where it was even coming from.

 _'What is that sound?'_  Leon thought to himself, as he looked around quizzically. His question was answered when he heard a crashing sound behind them; a sound that told them that it was a large, heavy object. Turning around, they saw that a large cage had fallen from the ceiling, mere centimetres away from the two teens. Having another quick look at the ceiling to try and figure out where it came from, they were met with a cage coming down on them, but were able to dodge in time.

"Run!" Leon ordered, as the three of them sprinted in the direction they were already going in. As they ran, cages fell on them relentlessly, prompting them to either run, or even move like some sort of gymnast, minus Heather, who just stuck to running. When they spotted a door, their speed increased, until they eventually got there.

Panting, Heather turned to Leon. "What the heck?"

"Took the words right outta my mouth," Leon replied. "From all the weird shit anyone's thrown at me, falling cages take the cake."

"Really?" Zidane asked. "I admit falling cages are weird, but not the weirdest thing in the world."

"Yeah, it is, I've seen it all."

"You probably haven't seen it all, Leon," Heather giggled.

"Trust me, I have seen enough."

"I doubt it," Zidane pointed out. "You may have murdered this Austin Sandler guy, and murdered a cult, and currently work for the government, and -"

"Witnessed the destruction of Raccoon City," Leon finished. "And the name was 'Osmund Saddler' not 'Austin Sandler'," he corrected, with a small smirk. "How did you know about the incident in Spain?"

"The lady was basically ranting about it, remember?" Zidane stated. "It's the reason why you were involved in this, apparently."

"Oh."

Leon had forgotten that the unknown woman brought the cult up as a reason why she involved him. He was that focused on the past of others, that he had forgotten that the incident in Spain was mentioned.

"Hey, Leon," he heard Zidane's voice. "There's some paper on the door, with writing on it."

Looking to where the boy was pointing, he did in fact see a note on the rusted door they were stood in front of. It read:

**_'I cannot believe that you have gotten this far, I will say that I am surprised._ **   
**_I take it you have decided to go through this red door, which is quite unfortunate._ **   
**_What awaits you through this door is a nightmarish fate, which may prove some difficulty._ **   
**_You can handle it, right?_ **   
**_Well, I cannot keep hindering you, so I shall conclude this with a farewell._ **   
**_Welcome to hell, marionetas._ **   
**_~ Your Saviour.'_ **

"Saviour?" Zidane raised an eyebrow, as he squinted at the paper. "That's a pretty cheesy name, don't you think?"

"Saviour my ass," Heather spat, before she hunched forward and fell into a fit of coughing. The blondes looked at each other, then back at the girl with concern. Their concern heightened when she coughed up blood. After looking down at her hands with horror, she turned to Leon as if expecting an explanation.

"Don't panic, you're not dying if that's what you're thinking," he reassured her. "You remember what the woman said, don't you? The fact that we've all been injected with the Las Plaugas that had some 'tweaks' done on it."

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, when you cough up blood, that means the egg has hatched. The parasite is now growing at a slow pace, however if you get stressed... the woman explained it."

"I have to keep calm now, huh?"

"Yeah. Do you feel tired at all?"

"Uh-huh, but I have been for a while," she replied. "I don't sleep very often, I worry too much."

"Okay," Leon started to worry. Heather coughed up blood; it could be anytime now before him, Harry, James, Henry, and... Zidane? He actually wasn't sure about him, as he wasn't captured at the same time as himself and the other four, or so he assumed; he never asked the boy. Turning to the boy in question, he asked, "how long were you contained for, Zidane?"

"I don't know," he replied, folding his arms. "I know it was long before you, anyway."

"Have you coughed up blood, or witnessed other alarming symptoms?"

"Yeah, I coughed up blood shortly after they threw you in the room with me. I thought I had some internal bleeding or something, but passed out before I could think about it further."

"And you're still calm?" Heather asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, I kinda forgot about it until now."

_'Okay, so two out of the six of us have displayed symptoms; we're running out of time.'_

"Let's go, as morbid as this sounds, we're running out of time," Leon said, before they entered the room.

* * *

 

"Hmm..."

"What is it, Harry?" James asked, looking behind said man's shoulder to see what he was reading.

"Welcome to my human aquarium," he read the line that puzzled him a little. _'Human aquarium? What's that supposed to -'_

"What does that mean?" Henry asked.

"I wish I knew," Harry replied. "The only way to find out is to go through this door."

Opening the door, the trio were greeted by a large wave of water running towards them. Before Harry could give the order to run, they were grabbed by the water and pulled into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strangely enough, I can't think of much to say, probably because I'm posting chapters that are already published on Fanfiction.Net on here in one sitting...yup...I don't have to, but I doing anyway.
> 
> My thoughts on the chapter if you're interested?
> 
> It was fun to write...that is it!
> 
> Improvements are very much appreciated!


	7. Fighting in the Depths of Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm trying to make these a little shorter...
> 
> No flames, please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters: Resident Evil is property of CAPCOM, Silent Hill is property of KONAMI, and Final Fantasy IX is property of SQUARE ENIX .

Hell was the only word Leon could think of to describe the room he had entered. The room itself was a blazing inferno that had almost been completely engulfed by the flames occupying it; leaving only a clear path, and before that path, items like rusted cranks, alongside wheels and vases, that looked surprisingly kempt were intact; nothing else could be seen due to the flames being too thick and tall, giving the impression of emptiness. The crimson flames looked to be tamed, and although that was a relief, it didn't quite sit well with the agent; considering one of the many characteristics of fire was to spread, and burn everything in its path to a pile of ash. It wasn't natural for fire to dance in place, given its destructive nature, though it still heated up the room significantly, and gave it a rich, orange glow.

Thinking about it more just increased the agent's unease, which was understandable.

Due to the intense heat, the room was already starting to take a toll on the American; his head was starting to feel much lighter than it usually did, accompanied by the feeling of nausea, and a burning sensation on his face. The two teens by his side weren't faring any better; Zidane, like Leon, gave the impression of being unfazed, however, it was evident that he was too warm for comfort; his face was a vivid pink and he kept rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand. Heather looked nauseous; her right hand resting on her stomach, and her left hand gripping her gun tightly, shaking slightly as it did so. Her breathing was also uneven, and looking at her facial expression, Leon could tell that not only was she feeling unwell, but also bewildered, as she glanced around the room in disbelief.

"How is this building still standing?" She asked breathlessly, removing her hand off her stomach to wipe a droplet of sweat off her forehead.

"I don't know," Zidane replied with a shrug of his shoulders, and a slight smirk. "Maybe it's magic."

"Magic?" Heather raised a sweaty eyebrow, emitting a dry giggle. "I don't think so, and anyway, I was mainly asking Leon." She then turned to the man mentioned. "So, what are we going to do here, 'Leader'?"

If the agent was going to be honest with himself, he wasn't sure. Firstly, there was a large possibility that the flames were not really as safe as they were making themselves out to be; the trio getting burnt to death as a result of them being careless. But, if they wanted to make progress, then something needed to be done; and no one would know what that would be, if they didn't look around first.

"Before we do anything here, we should have a look around," he stated, taking in his surroundings, warily. "We don't know what can be done here, unless we do."

"Okay," Heather responded, trying to fan herself with her free hand. "Should we split up to save time, or do you suppose we stay together?"

"I think we should stick together," Zidane quickly interrupted, stretching before combing a hand through his hair. "Splitting up in this heat seems like a dumb idea."

"I wasn't asking you."

"I was just stating my opinion on the idea."

"Well..." she sighed. "There's nothing wrong with that, but you should have given us time to think."

"But," Zidane started, his expression becoming slightly smug. "If we split up, there'd be no one to pick us up if the heat got too much. I say that it'd be best if we stick together and look out for one another, that way, no one passes out and burns to death. That makes sticking together the better option to begin with."

The agent actually thought of that 'what-if' scenario; fainting due to heat exhaustion, which, in that heat, would be very likely. The solution he came to was similar to what the kid had just said; sticking together, and picking each other up if they fall. That made sticking together the wiser option in his mind, and he didn't trust the teens to stay conscious for long; especially when they already looked like they were going to keel over and die at any moment. He didn't even trust himself to stay awake for long. So, they had to be quick.

"He's right," Leon spoke up. "This place looks like it's going to be a death-trap, so splitting up would be the last thing we want to do. Staying together sounds like the better option, but we need to be quick, if we want to live."

"Good point, actually," Heather placed her hand on her forehead. "Where should we start?"

"The only way we can; forward," the agent said, as he started to walk in that direction, the other two following behind him.

The path they walked on was much more linear than Leon had expected it to be; they were being lead by fire walls, similar to that of a hedge in a maze. A headache was starting to form in the American's head, and his muscles started to feel much weaker, making his movements feel heavier; most likely due to the temperature increasing. A part of him wondered if the other two were feeling the same, but mostly, his mind was thinking of ways to get whatever needed to be accomplished in this room over and done with, so they could leave. Behind him, he could hear muffled groans from Heather as she wiped more sweat from her face, and the three footsteps behind him becoming heavier.

_'Three?!'_

Leon sharply turned to face the two teens, and that was what he saw; no third person. Was he hallucinating due to heat exhaustion, or were they actually being followed? Heather and Zidane wore worried expressions, as they turned to look behind them as well. When they looked back at the agent, Heather spoke up.

"Are you okay, Leon?" She asked weakly, placing a hand on her red cheeks in a slight daze.

"Yeah, I just thought..." he wiped some sweat off his forehead, pushing his worries to the side. "Never mind."

"Leon, remember, we agreed to stick together," Zidane told him, concern apparent in his voice and facial expression. "So, don't leave us in the dark, okay. Tell us what's up."

"Yeah, Leon," Heather said. "What's wrong? We can't help you if you don't tell us."

The agent sighed. How could he have forgotten that conversation they had?

**_'We all agreed to help you, so that's what we're going to do. If a threat were to appear, we take it on together.'_ **

Harry had said that, when Leon had offered to enter a sketchy looking room on his own. Everyone else also said roughly the same thing afterwards, albeit phrased differently. Despite that, they were all telling him to trust them, and think like one unit, a team.

However, the agent couldn't bring himself to do that; if these civilians were to get injured in anyway, especially the two teens he was with, then he'd be plagued with guilt, and not only that, but he assumed he'd be in serious trouble; especially with Harry. So, he had to do what he did best; protect these people like they were regular civilians, meaning keeping them in the dark, too. They were being followed, he knew that, however he had to lie to them, for their own good.

Clearing his throat, he answered. "I wanted to see if you were okay," he said on the spot. "Your footsteps were getting heavier, you know; are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," they both said in unison, looks of concern still present on their faces.

"Good."

Leon didn't feel good lying to them about the likelihood of a stalker on their trail, but he felt it was best, so that everyone was thinking about the objective at hand for now; the quicker they were out of that room, the better. But didn't he say that he wouldn't leave anyone in the dark from now on; rely on his new allies, as well as himself?

_'Is lying to them really a good idea?'_

As they continued walking forward, the agent heard the third pair of footsteps again, followed by a loud crash and a feminine scream; prompting Leon to immediately turn to look behind him again. He saw that a large piece of rubble had fallen, and was mere inches away from crushing Heather and Zidane; the former had her free hand over her chest, and shook slightly, as she gasped for breath, not taking her eyes off the object while she took two small steps back; the latter stared at the object wide eyed, while his tail visibly twitched.

"Are you two okay?" The blonde agent asked in alarm, approaching them hastily.

"Yeah, thanks," Zidane replied, before turning to look at Heather, sympathetically. "I don't know about her, though."

"Heather, are you -"

"I'm fine," she said suddenly, straightening her hair out while taking a deep breath. "I'm fine, Leon, thanks for asking."

"Okay, if you're sure," Leon turned to the direction they were walking in initially, sighing whilst rubbing the back of his neck. "If something is wrong, tell me, okay?"

"Sure, and the same applies to you too, Leon," she sighed. "You are sure you're not hiding anything from us, right?"

"No... I'm - Let's just go, we're running out of time."

They really had to leave; the agent didn't like being followed by unwanted people with questionable motives, and not only that, but he was gradually feeling more faint the longer he stayed in that room. Luckily for them, it didn't take long to get to an open area, however they didn't escape the heat, or the potential pursuer.

Glancing around, the agent could see that there were quite a lot of vases scattered around, but that wasn't what caught his eye; a small stage could be seen, and on that stage was a large, dark green door. Without wasting time, he ran towards it and frantically pulled the handle. It was locked. Sighing, the blonde turned to the other two in the group, who had caught up quite quickly.

"I guess we're looking for a key," he stated, resting a hand on his head.

He didn't have time for this.

"That's just great," Heather commented, sarcastically. "I should have known that this wasn't going to be easy."

"Yeah," Zidane sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "But at least the key won't be too far; we're only in one room after all."

"You're probably right," Leon said, taking a quick glance at the door, before looking at the two blondes again. "We should start looking."

"But where should we start? This room isn't exactly small, and we could succumb to the heat at any moment," Heather reminded him. "What if it's on a flame proof string dangling over a flame? Thinking about how twisted that woman sounded, that could be where the key is."

"You do have quite an imagination," Zidane chuckled, walking to the edge of the stage to scan the surrounding area.

"Oh yeah, this is coming from the kid that said 'magic' was the reason why a fire infested room was still in good condition," the girl scoffed, folding her arms.

"Well, I guess you're right about that," he turned back to the door, placing his hands on his hips with a slight smirk. "I think the key could be in a chest somewhere, because it just makes sense; especially when compared to the flame proof string idea."

"Hey! It makes sense..."

"In another world, maybe."

"Oh, you -!"

"Heather, not now," the agent had cut the girl off with an irritated tone, before looking at the monkey boy. "You, too. The key could be anywhere in this room, so instead of standing here arguing like children, let's just -"

"Get on with it!" A voice growled harshly from seemingly nowhere, prompting Leon to ready his gun.

The agent noticed that his sudden action caused Heather to ready her own pistol, whilst for some reason darting a glare at him before focusing on what was in front of her. Did she figure out his white lie somehow? Is she mad? Of course she is, but that shouldn't be the main priority in the situation. Shaking it off, he focused on finding the source of the voice.

In his line of sight, he could see Zidane gripping his sheaths, as he took wary glances around the room. Behind him, Leon saw the flames that had always been there, the vases, the cloaked man in the distance, the - wait? Cloaked man?

A cloaked man could be seen; the cloak he wore was red, and he had his face covered with some sort of golden cat mask. The hood was also up, further hiding his identity.

_'That has to be the pursuer!'_  He thought, as he pointed his gun to where the unfamiliar figure was, but before Leon could order him to put his hands were he could see them, and question him about his motives, he seemed to move away at an inhuman speed. Not long after, Zidane removed his daggers from their sheaths, and turned to look behind him to see nothing there, then turned back to look at Leon; his expression went from that of confusion to that of horror.

The agent didn't understand why he wore such an expression, but did when something caught the corner of his eye. Knitting his brows together, he turned to his left to see the cloaked man on Heather's left side, preparing to bring a spear down on her. Everything seemed to slow down, as he aimed his gun in that direction, putting his finger on the trigger as the teenage girl turned her head to look at him with wide eyes.

"Leon! What are you -!"

"Get down!"

He didn't have to tell her twice, she ducked, due to the urgency in his voice, allowing him to fire his gun in an attempt to incapacitate him; however, the agent should have known that it wasn't going to be easy. Lowering his weapon in confusion, a mumbled, "What?" escaped his mouth; he fired at nothing, the unknown man got away.

_'How?'_

"What's going on?" He heard Heather ask, which snapped him out of his thoughts. She stood up straight, and looked at him in mild frustration.

"I missed," he replied, as he shook his head slightly. "I haven't missed that bad since -"

"Missed what?"

She cut him off with a question. He sighed; he should have known that he wouldn't be able to keep it hidden forever, but he thought it would be the right thing to do, so they could focus on the primary objective: finding Ashley. Right, that was what he had to focus on, not getting into a potential argument with a teenager.

"Nothing, it doesn't -"

"There's a cloaked man, Leon; I saw him with my own eyes," Heather told him with a look of disappointment on her face. "You knew about him, didn't you?"

Okay, she knew; he guessed he had to tell her.

"I knew we were being followed, just not  _who_  was following us," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -"

"Yeah, you shouldn't have," she ran a hand through her hair, as she turned away from the agent. "I should of started questioning you when I noticed you acting strange earlier. You said you wouldn't keep us in the dark, you said -"

"Guys," Zidane interrupted, approaching the two blondes. "I don't think now's the time to be fighting. There's someone out there, who has 'suspicious' written all over them, so we have to focus on that, not this."

"He is right," an unknown deep voice said, as the owner of the voice, the mysterious cloaked man, jumped down from the ceiling. "I believe the main priority should be me, not the liar with his pants on fire."

"Who are you?" Leon asked scornfully, as he readied his gun yet again.

"I am codenamed 'Sphinx,' for my mysterious nature," he chuckled, clearly pleased with himself.

"Why are you here?" Heather asked carefully, having her gun aimed at him also.

"Well, if you must know, I have the key to that door over there," he answered, pointing to the big door behind the trio. He then pointed to the rope wrapped around his waist, with a key dangling off of it. "Right here, if you need proof of my claims."

"Great," Zidane extended his hand out to him, with a grin on his face. "If you would so kindly hand it over -"

"No," he interrupted the boy, folding his arms.

"And why not? We have to save the daughter of the President!"

"Do I care? Are you aware of what a Sphinx is in Egyptian mythology, monkey boy?"

"They gave people puzzles to solve, right?" He replied, sheathing his daggers and folding his arms.

"You are not wrong," he chuckled. "However, unlike my namesake, I will not be doing that; I just want to have fun."

"Really?"

Leon was watching this exchange in mild confusion; why were they talking about the sphinx from mythology. Furthermore, where did the kid get that knowledge from? School? That was plausible actually. His thoughts were cut short when the cloaked man, Sphinx, spoke again.

"You know, child," he said, as he raised his hand, causing the path the trio had come from to be blocked by a wall. He then lowered his hand, which then made the flames in the room vanish from existence; they had nowhere to go now, and at least the room temperature was normalised. "I just noticed that you sheathed your daggers, you do not do that in front of your enemy."

"And do  _I_  care?" Zidane sighed, his smile not wavering.

Sphinx released a deep, menacing chuckle in response, before conjuring a ball of fire in his hand and throwing it at his opponents. Leon rolled out of the way effortlessly, but didn't land as gracefully as he thought he would; falling on his back due to unexpectedly losing his footing. He noticed that Zidane was able to flip out of the way, un-sheathing his daggers upon landing; and Heather was able to duck and strafe out of harms way, turning to aim at the man attacking them.

For kids inexperienced in this sort of thing, the agent was impressed with their dodging skills. Upon realising that he was just lying there, the agent leaned on his side with a grunt, and without thinking, brought his gun up in front of him and fired at the cloaked man calling himself 'Sphinx'. Much to the agent's frustration, he kept dodging every bullet with ease, and started to laugh when the agent's gun clicked, meaning he had to reload. The laugh was put to a stop, when the man turned to his left, to see Zidane running at him; daggers above his head, ready to strike. Sighing, Sphinx stepped to the side, making the monkey tailed teen stab thin air. The kid turned to make another attempt to strike the man, but promptly had both of his arms grabbed, and before the blonde could even blink, he was flung across the room, smacking a wall before landing on a vase, smashing it in the process.

"Shit!" The agent growled, as he managed to find an ammo clip, and tried to put it in his gun. "Zidane, are you okay?!"

As Zidane tried to stand, the cloaked man was slowly approaching him, conjuring a red katana in his hand. From what Leon could see, the boy looked dazed and not in a state to fight back; which made the task of getting the ammo clip in even more frustrating. His hands were shaking, he felt dizzy and couldn't stand, making what he found a simple task, difficult. Sphinx brought his katana up above his head, and was about to decapitate his opponent, when he rolled out of the way and glared at him, while down on his hands and knees.

Managing to get the ammo clip into his gun, Leon turned to look at Heather, who was aiming at Sphinx, a loss of what to do, her gun shaking.

"Heather! What are you doing?!" Leon yelled, getting her attention.

"Oh!" She pulled the trigger, which caused Sphinx to place his attention on her.

"So, you want see if you are worthy enough to fight me, eh?" He asked, as he pointed his katana at her. "You got one hit; let us see if you can get another."

Determination in her eyes, she fired at him again. Easily deflecting the bullet with his katana blade, he turned it into a spear, the same one he tried to get her with not too long ago, and threw it at her. With not even a second thought, Leon forced himself up and pushed her out of the way, the spear hitting the wall instead.

With Sphinx distracted, Zidane yanked the key from his belt, prompting the cloaked man to turn around and grab him by the throat. The kid's eyes widened, as he brought up his dagger and stabbed the man in the arm. Unfazed by this he removed the dagger from the blonde's grip and threw it away, while tightening his grip on Zidane's neck.

"You sure know how to push my buttons; what you did there was called cheating!" Sphinx yelled, tightening his grip further, making the blonde's cheeks turn purple. He then chuckled. "You also do not stab someone in the back, Mr. Scott Kennedy," he then turned to the agent, who was prepared to stab the other man in the back with Zidane's discarded weapon. "That is not a fair fight."

"Then let him go," Leon growled, harshly.

"Oh, what about I -"

"Sphinx?" a voice was heard on a radio that the cloaked man apparently had on his person; a voice that sounded suspiciously like the 'Saviour'. "Sphinx, do you read me?"

He promptly let Zidane go, and stood up to get his radio out; the agent took this opportunity to run to the kid's aid.

"Yes, my lady!" Sphinx was heard exclaiming into his radio. "What is it that you need?"

"I need you this instant," she replied coldly.

"Oh, yes, I will be on my way," putting his radio away, he turned to the agent, who had the tailed boy in his arms. "You got lucky this time," he stated, before disappearing in a flash.

Shaking his head, Leon turned to where Heather was standing, or kneeling, then back down to the boy who was almost asphyxiated. He had the key gripped tightly in his left hand, which was resting on his chest, as he frantically gasped for air. The purple faded from his cheeks, and his lids opened, revealing bloodshot eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" The agent asked, as he sat him up.

Zidane responded with a nod, as he handed Leon the key. With a cough, and a couple more gasps, he pointed to the kneeling Heather. "She...okay...?"

"I'm going to check on her now," he said, as he placed the boy's dagger in his hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Another nod.

Turning in the direction Heather was in, the girl was already stood up and dusting herself off.

"Are you okay, Heather?" He asked, as he approached her.

"Yeah, just slightly shaken," she replied, running a hand through her hair. "It all happened so fast, I couldn't keep up; I just froze, I'm so sorry -"

"Calm down, it's -"

"Is he okay?"

She turned in Zidane's direction; said person was still catching his breath as he sheathed his second dagger; eyes half-lidded and still bloodshot. Leon sighed.

"He told me he's fine," the agent told her, looking at the door behind the pair.

"He almost suffocated, I'm surprised he didn't..."

"Yeah, I know; I guess it didn't bother him too much."

"I guess," she sighed. "Who do you think that asshole was anyway?"

"I don't know," getting out the key, he turned to Zidane. "C'mon, we're getting outta here."

"Okay..." he said, as he started to walk towards the pair. "Who do you think that joker was?"

"We'll talk about it later," Leon sighed, as he stuck the key into the lock.

"Promise?" Heather asked.

"I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, do you want to know a fun fact?
> 
> I haven't posted a new chapter for this story for over a year now. But, I have made a start on chapter 8, and that should be out when I finish it...provided anyone is actually interested.
> 
> I had fun writing this chapter, as it was fun to imagine what was going to happen. I did have a plan for this chapter, but some parts didn't follow it. For example, it was Heather who was supposed to get strangled, not Zidane. But, because of how I wrote the fight, Zidane ended up being closer to Sphinx, and thus, he got strangled instead. I don't know.
> 
> I find it funny when plans change like that it's interesting to me.
> 
> Again, chapter 8 shouldn't be too long away if you're interested. If not, I'm sorry for creating this, and have a good day, or night...
> 
> Improvements are very much appreciated!


	8. The Flood Behind the Blue Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters. Resident Evil belongs to CAPCOM, Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid belong to KONAMI and Final Fantasy belongs to SQUARE ENIX.

After the unpleasant experience of their secrets almost laid bare for others to see, gathering their lost equipment and having a discussion on what their next move should be, Harry suggested that the group split up and investigate the other side of both doors simultaneously.  
  
He thought that it would be best that Leon and himself lead the groups, for reasons that may be obvious; Leon was an agent for the United States Government and Harry, to himself anyway, was much more level headed. As for who would be in each group, Harry decided that James would be in his group, just so he could keep an eye on him and same would go for Henry, too; since they hadn't known the agent for awfully long and the pair could be quite timid sometimes. That only left the teen with the tail, Zidane, and his daughter, Heather, who would have to go with Leon.  
  
Was he a little worried to part ways with her? Yes, but he trusted the agent would take care of her. He didn't know Leon very well, but he could feel that he could be trusted; they were on the same boat after all.  
  
Then, there was deciding who would take each door, and the reasoning behind that wasn't very creative nor well thought out; Harry was closer to the blue door, so he would go through there and Leon was closer to the red door, so that was where he was going.  
  
A part of him was going to suggest that he should go through the red door, since not only did red represent love and passion, but danger and aggression; it could even be associated with fire and heat. Harry was worried that whatever was behind the red door would be dangerous and that he was going to be exposing Heather to it, but the blue door may not be much safer and she had Leon with her; and in this situation, he doubted that there was a safe option.  
  
After announcing his plan, Harry noticed that Leon displayed a look of mild annoyance, barely disguised by a humoured smirk; the agent didn't say anything that pointed to him being annoyed, so -  
  
"Don't we all get a say, Harry?"  
  
\- he may have been over-thinking things...  
  
The brunette supposed that he had spoken too soon. He guessed that the cause of annoyance may be because no-one got to decide for themselves where they wanted to go, but he had already thought - not too long, but long enough - about the group placements.  
  
"No, I want to keep an eye on these two," Harry told the blonde truthfully, pointing his thumb at James and Henry. "I trust Heather will be fine with you and I believe the boy would be more comfortable with you, as he's known you the longest."  
  
"Fair enough," he heard Leon say, as he approached the blue door, gesturing for his friends to follow.  
  
No words were exchanged between the three, as they got closer to the door. Once they were stood in front of the door, and thus out of ear shot from the other group, Harry turned to face the two accompanying him. Before he said anything, he switched his pocket flashlight on, made sure that the handgun tied to his belt was secure, and untied his knife in favour of holding it.  
  
"Is everyone ready?" he asked, which prompted the other two to check themselves over:  
  
Henry simply checked his gun over again with a nod, while James turned on his own pocket flashlight and flicked a switch on his radio, before taking his handgun off of his belt.  
  
Harry wondered why the blonde still used the radio, it wasn't like they were in Silent Hill dealing with unknown, possibly paranormal, forces; heck, they hadn't even seen any monsters, or anything out the ordinary, unless one suddenly forgot about the teen with a fully functioning monkey tail... Maybe they weren't in a situation people would consider normal, but it wasn't Silent Hill, so the radio may not be of much use, hence why he hadn't turned on his own. He guessed it was best to be safe than sorry, but he would keep his as a spare, just in case James' were to get lost or damaged.

Harry was taken out of his thoughts when heard a click of a door. Looking up, he noticed that the group stood in front of the red door were gone...Heather was gone...  
  
"Are you sure you didn't want to take Heather with you?" he heard James ask.  
  
The brunette shook his head in response, prompting confused expressions from his companions.  
  
"Don't get me wrong, it isn't like I don't want her here," he added. "It would be better if we kept the numbers the same on both sides."  
  
"Then -"  
  
"And I wanted to keep an eye on you and Henry."  
  
Silence descended upon the trio, until it was broken by a light chuckle; two pairs of eyes fell on Henry, who was oddly the source of the noise. Harry must have said something quite amusing if Henry was laughing at him; it was a rare, but not an unpleasant sight.  
  
"I'm sorry," Henry whispered, coughing into his hand. "It was just how you phrased it."  
  
"How I phrased it?"  
  
'What did he mean?'  
  
"Yeah," James also had a small smile on his face. "It almost sounds like..."  
  
"You see us as children," Henry finished.  
  
"And we're grown men."  
  
Harry didn't know if this was an attempt at lightening the mood, or what...but he thought it was nice. However, it had to be cut short, or they wouldn't get anywhere.  
  
Releasing a small chuckle himself, Harry gestured for the other two to follow as they went through the door.  
  
What stood behind it was a corridor; as blue as the ocean and as airy as the great outdoors. It may not have looked like it, but it felt like they had just walked straight onto a beach, it even smelt the part with the smell of wet sand filling the trio's nostrils. Although the room allowed the trio to experience different smells and sensations, the room itself was bare and had nothing to offer visually; unless pipes with drops of water leaking from them counted as something.  
  
Tightening their grips on their weapons, they advanced forward; keeping alert was the best thing they could do.  
  
The corridor felt as if it went on forever, showing no sign of stopping; then something changed. Harry wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he noticed that the corridor appeared to get more narrrow the further they went; resulting in the group having to walk in a single file line. Excluding that minor change, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. This was until he noticed the absence of two pairs of footsteps.  
  
Turning to investigate, he noticed James glancing around in confusion, while Henry, who was stood behind him, stared at the former like he was crazy.  
  
"James, what are you doing?" Harry asked, concerned yet a little annoyed that their progress was being halted.  
  
"Did you hear that?" the blonde replied, as he took a cautious step forward.  
  
"Hear what?" Henry replied, as he followed suit.  
  
Shortly after that question was uttered, spikes shot from the ground where Henry was previously stood, causing the man to involuntarily gasp.  
  
"Henry!"  
  
"I think we should run, Harry!"  
  
The group wasted no time, they ran for their lives; spikes emerging with every step they took. They could do nothing, except make sure that they were a great distance away when the next spike emerged. With how long the corridor was, they didn't think there would be an end to it, until they saw a door in the distance. Hope ignited, they pushed themselves harder and upon reaching the door, they collapsed to catch their breaths.  
  
"What the hell...?" Henry coughed out, his breathing was heavy and he continued to cough with every breath he took.  
  
"I don't get it..." James said, his breathing returning to normal as he crawled over to Henry. "I thought that woman wanted us alive...?"  
  
"I believe so," Harry replied, standing up and glancing around. Looking at the spikes, he noticed they were sharp and could have done catastrophic damage if one were to get caught in them.  
  
"Then what were those spikes for? They could have killed us?!"  
  
It had been awhile since Harry had seen James get this worked up about something; and considering the situation, the brunette didn't blame him. Harry took a deep breath and sighed.

"My theory is that she didn't do this to kill us, merely to place us in a state of panic..."  
  
Both men looked at Harry, awaiting an explanation.  
  
"Remember, the parasites respond to heightened levels of stress and if you think about it the spikes weren't very difficult to avoid..."  
  
"You're not wrong," James stood up and proceeded to dust himself off. "But if that trap had killed us, I doubt it would have affected her plans too much."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
After that question left his mouth, Henry was heard having a coughing fit. Since James was stood closer to the brunette, he immediately went to check on him. His eyes widened when thick, red liquid jumped out of his mouth.  
  
"Henry!"  
  
"What is it, James?!"  
  
"Blood..."  
  
At that answer, Harry rushed to the pair to take a closer look and Henry had indeed coughed up blood. The liquid was cupped in his hands and the man's eyes were filled with worry as he panted. Before any of the two could open their mouths, Henry beat them to it.  
  
"I'm fine," he said, as he got up to a shaky stand. "We -"  
  
"You're fine?! You've coughed up blood, Henry!" James told him, attempting to sit the brunette back down. He wasn't having it.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this place," Henry tried to reason calmly, gently pushing the blonde away.  
  
"If you insist, Henry, we'll proceed," Harry said, turning back to the door. "We'll give you a look over when we get out of this area, but don't push yourself too hard."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
Approaching the door, the first thing Harry noticed was a note taped to the door that read:  
  
**_'I cannot believe that you have gotten this far, I will say that I am surprised._**  
**_I take it you have decided to go through this blue door, which is quite unfortunate._**  
**_You are mistaken if you thought that opting for this door will be a breeze._**  
**_What awaits you through this door is a fate overflowing with difficulty._**  
**_That difficult, you may drown..._**  
**_You can handle it, right?_**  
**_Well, I cannot keep hindering you, so I shall conclude this with a farewell._**  
**_Welcome to my human aquarium!_**  
**_~ Your Saviour.'_**  
  
_'Saviour? How cliché...'_ Harry thought as looked the note over.  
  
The phrase 'Human aquarium' bothered him though, as well as the references to drowning.  
  
_'Was there water on the other side? No, that would be silly...'_  
  
"Hmm..."  
  
"What is it, Harry?" James asked, looking behind said man's shoulder to see what he was reading.  
  
"Welcome to my human aquarium," he read the line that puzzled him a little. 'Human aquarium? What's that supposed to -'  
  
"What does that mean?" Henry asked.  
  
"I wish I knew," Harry replied. "The only way to find out is to go through this door."  
  
Opening the door, the trio were greeted by a large wave of water running towards them. Before Harry could give the order to run, they were grabbed by the water and pulled into the room.  
  
The current was strong, intense, and Harry and his friends were entirely submerged. They couldn't breathe and they could barely move. Harry felt like a ragdoll with his limbs flailing in random directions, and a fire burned in his lungs as his chest felt tight. He could see nothing but endless blue, and the occasional silver blur which he guessed could be pipes.  
  
When the tightness in his lungs grew, he made an attempt to fight the current, rapidly moving his limbs upwards in an effort to reach the surface. The edges of his vision started to darken, and his limbs grew heavy, like he had weights wrapped around them with rope. If he were to succumb to the weight, his journey, his life, would end here; he would never see his daughter again and won't be able to see everyone make it out of this situation okay.  
  
With those thoughts in mind, he made a big stroke and was fortunate to have a pipe in reach. Grabbing it for dear life, he pulled himself up and was finally met with the sweet relief of oxygen. Taking in large ragged breaths, with coughs mixed in, he leaned on the pipe for support and blinked water out of his eyes.

After recovering, he looked around. The room he was in was very large and rectangular; the water in the room was constantly moving. If he were to let go, that's it, he'd be being dragged aimlessly again. The walls were silver, metal looking, and a ladder could be seen in the distance, which appeared to lead to a metal platform. On that platform, a lever could be seen.  
  
Harry had his bearings, but not his companions. Frantically, he looked around, but couldn't see them.  
  
"Henry?!" he called, still somewhat breathless. "James?!"  
  
He didn't get a response from either of them.  
  
_'No...'_  
  
Before he could think of the worst case scenario, he heard a gasp behind him followed by rapid breaths. Whipping his head toward the noise, he was relieved to see Henry, leaning on a pipe a little further than Harry, gasping and coughing.  
  
"Henry, are you okay?"  
  
He merely nodded in response.  
  
Harry was happy to see one of his friends was alright, but...  
  
His thoughts were, again, interrupted when he saw a hand rise from the water and grasp the pipe closest to the ladder. Not long after, the owner of the hand emerged, breathless and tired like the rest of them as he leaned on the pipe for dear life.  
  
"James! Are you alright?" Harry was relieved, he thought he'd lost them here, but thankfully he thought wrong.  
  
"I think so..." the blonde gasped, as he caught his breath.  
  
Harry smiled. That was good to hear, but he didn't know how much time they could sit there like ducks, so he had to tell them his plan.  
  
"Now that we're accounted for, we need to find a way to escape," he started, shivering from the coldness of the water. "There is a lever on the platform above us, and the way up to that platform is behind James, that ladder."  
  
Said man turned to see that there was, in fact, a ladder behind him. Turning to Harry, he gave a nod.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
"Thank you, but try to be quick about it."  
  
Looking back to the ladder, James used his free hand to reach for it and grab one of the steps. He then removed his other hand off the pipe and proceeded to make his way up the ladder.  
  
Getting on top of the platform, he immediately made a run for the lever and pulled it down; that immediately, to everyone's relief, stopped the water from running.  
  
"Well done, James!" Harry said, as he leaped from pipe to pipe to get to the ladder with Henry in tow.  
  
The blonde just rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish smile, as he made his way back to the ladder to wait for the two brunettes.  
  
Once they were reunited on top of the platform, Harry looked around and spotted a set of stairs at the end of the path. With no other options, they made their way towards them.  
  
Climbing the stairs, no words were exchanged between the three. In that silence, Harry's mind wandered; he wanted to know how the other group were faring, Heather especially. If almost drowning was what his group had to deal with, then what would Leon's group had to have dealt with?  
  
Hopefully, nothing life threatening...  
  
Reaching the top of the stairs, a large hatch could be seen. Lifting it up, they entered into a large room.  
  
The room was bare and a sandy colour. Facing them was a large, red door and wasting no time, Harry ran towards it to find that it was locked. Turning away, he saw Henry enter the room and close the hatch behind him, before collapsing on the floor on his knees. James was examining a large metal door and was able to open it ajar before closing it.  
  
"Should we go?" He asked, as he made his way to Henry and sat down.  
  
"Not yet," Harry told him, joining the two men. "We need to check on Henry and our equipment to make sure that they are not water damaged."  
  
"Good point."  
  
'And maybe Heather will come through that red door...'

* * *

"They escaped, what a pity..." Saviour sighed as she switched off the camera. "The true test begins now, let us see how they fare..."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Improvements are appreciated, please tell me what I did right, wrong and how I can improve. If you would like, you could also favourite and follow this fic, as well as suggest ideas for future chapters. R&R and thanks for reading!


	9. Unforeseen Complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, this is the fastest update I have had with this story for a while; a 3 month wait as opposed to a year (well, that's for the FF.Net readers that have been here since the start; not that many, but still). That's a record for me, seriously. On that note, we're four days into the new year, so Happy New Year! Hope you had a great 2019 and have an even better 2020!
> 
> This is also the longest chapter I've written for anything; 4,998 words according to the Document manager on here, not counting the author's note here and at the end. So, that's cool. I doubt every chapter will be this long, and I doubt that every update will be this fast (compared to my other updates I mean), but you never know. Chapter length depends on my mood and what I have in store for the chapter, so yeah...
> 
> In addition, I've been on Christmas break, which gave me more time to work on this. I start University up again in a few days, so who knows when I'll be able to work on it again, but you never know...
> 
> Fun fact: this chapter was really fun for me to write. If it's bad, I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Without further ado:
> 
> No flames please~! If you feel that some improvements could be made, don't be afraid to say so; tell what I did good and like I just said, improvements are good!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these franchises, or their characters. Resident Evil belongs to CAPCOM, Silent Hill belongs to KONAMI and Final Fantasy belongs to SQUARE ENIX.

The door opened with a creak, allowing the trio to finally exit the room that was once a blazing inferno; thanks to Sphinx, it was no longer so, as the man was kind enough to extinguish the flames for them, before he proceeded to attack them.

Leon had a feeling that they hadn't seen the last of the cloaked man, so they had to be careful; the man seemed strong, and capable of killing them effortlessly. Unlike their first encounter, everyone had to be in on what was going on; keeping them in the dark didn't help them prepare and strategise, which could be why they barely got any hits in. Since everyone had to be aware of this new threat, the agent had to tell Harry and the other two when they next saw them.

 _'But, how long would that be?'_ the agent thought, with a sigh. _'I hope they're -'_

"Dad!" He heard Heather exclaim, as she ran up to the man she called 'Dad,' and embraced him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just wet," he replied with a slight chuckle, returning the hug. "What about you? Did you run into any trouble?"

"Well..." she pulled away from the hug, then looked at Leon. "Are you going to tell them?"

Upon hearing that, James and Henry, who were busy checking if their soaked equipment was in working order, looked up at Heather and Harry, before looking at Leon themselves.

"Yeah, of course," the agent said, as he approached the group with Zidane in tow. "We had a brief encounter with a man who called himself 'Sphinx'."

"Sphinx?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that the name of the winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion?"

"I don't know," Heather shrugged. "The guy looked and sounded human, but at the same time, he didn't even seem like it."

"Why?" Henry had spoken for the first time during that conversation, standing up as he attached his handgun to his belt.

"Somehow, he was capable of throwing fireballs at us, pulling weapons out of the air, and he could even change the weapon if he wanted to," Leon explained, surprised to see that there wasn't much of a reaction to what he was saying; not even looks of disbelief could be seen on their faces.

"Yeah," Heather spoke up again, sounding slightly shaken. "He turned a katana into a spear and threw it at me; hell, before that, I even shot the guy and he didn't seem fazed by it."

"Are you sure he was human?" James asked suddenly.

Heather and Leon looked in thought for a moment, then they turned to each other and nodded. The agent then spoke for them.

"He looked human in build, but we couldn't tell properly, since he had his face covered with a golden cat mask."

"A golden cat mask?" Harry repeated, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. "We'll keep a look out for someone who fits that description as we move on, since I doubt we'll get anywhere if we're just standing and talking."

"I agree, it's best that we just move on," Leon said, pointing to a set of double-doors ahead of them. "If we're lucky, that could be our way out of this building."

"It better be," Heather sighed, stretching as she approached the doors. "I'm sick of this place."

Henry nodded in agreement as he followed with James and Harry in tow. Zidane went to join them, but was promptly stopped by Leon, who had placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Leon asked. "You didn't say anything back there, and you usually add something to the conversation."

Zidane simply shrugged and looked down to the ground.

"Leon..." He started, his voice lacking the usual cheer it had. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he turned to face the agent with a small smile. "Thanks for asking."

"Just know that if there's anything bothering you, you can talk to me about it, okay?"

"Alright, thanks for worrying, but we've got more important things to worry about," Zidane motioned towards the doors where the others were waiting for them, then proceeded to make his way toward them.

Leon followed, finding it better to get somewhere safer before they discussed things further. Reaching the doors, he grabbed the handles and pulled them both down. Behind the doors was a very thick fog, and that was all that could be seen, a thick fog. Gripping each of their weapons, they moved forward.

The further they went, the more Leon noticed that the footsteps of his team were slowing down, well a few footsteps. When he turned around, he saw Heather, Henry and Zidane in the far front of the group, who seemed to also be looking at the two who were slowly being left behind.

"Hey, are you two okay?" Leon asked.

None of them responded, as they proceeded to walk at a snail's pace toward the four ahead. Looking closely at their faces, Leon noticed that they were frozen in horror. Henry appeared to notice this too, his face creased with concern as he called out to them.

"What's wrong?"

Still, they didn't answer.

Once they caught up, they stood frozen on the spot, expressions no different than before.

Leon repeated Henry's question, but still got no answer out of them. He was starting to feel concerned; this was too sudden. They couldn't have succumbed to the virus already...

"What...? How...?" Harry muttered, looking ahead, somewhat like a deer caught in the headlights.

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Harry?"

"Welcome to Silent Hill," the agent heard Zidane say from behind him.

Turning around reluctantly, he looked behind him to see that Zidane had walked slightly ahead. His back was turned away from him, as he appeared to be looking at something. Approaching the blonde, he followed his gaze to have his eyes land on a welcome sign, that sign saying exactly what the boy had said: 'Welcome to Silent Hill.'

His hairs stood on end and he felt a chill run down his spine.

'. _ **..We're not 'ordinary' anymore. We have literally been down to hell and back again, we have fought otherworldly monsters that we thought never existed, even in our most demented of thoughts.**_

_**In that town, Silent Hill...my daughter, Cheryl, was stolen from me, and I'll never see her again, she was only 7 at the time. That was even worse than the monsters.** _

_**We've all been through similar events, excluding Heather; myself and James being the only ones to have actually gone to the town, Henry did on holiday, I believe. Henry was stuck in his room for days apparently, and every time he went through a hole in his bathroom, he'd see hell itself, the town of Silent Hill, while being persued by a psychotic murderer.'** _

Silent Hill? How were they in Silent Hill?

_**'We are situated on an island, made to emulate a resort town covered by a blanket of fog.'** _

Then it clicked. Where they were and, possibly, a theory as to why this place in particular was chosen for the sick simulation she created. To heighten a couple of member's stress levels and thus, speed up the development of the parasitic organism living within. He figured that it wouldn't work at first, since as far as he knew, it had only been Zidane and Heather to have had their eggs hatch and they didn't have any previous traumatic experiences with the town.

Well, he wasn't sure about Zidane, but he knew Heather didn't as Harry had told him during their first meeting. So, this was only intended to have an effect on Harry, James, and Henry, right?

Suddenly, a cry was heard from behind him followed by rapid breaths and hurried footsteps. Looking behind him, he saw that the sound had been made by Heather, who had collapsed on her knees and was clutching her head. The footsteps had been Harry rushing to her side to calm her down with James following. Henry was already knelt down at her side, rubbing her back in an attempt to provide comfort. It didn't look to be helping, but he tried.

"Heather, what's the matter?" Harry asked in a panic, as he pulled his quivering daughter into a hug. Henry still continued to rub her back and James just observed with a worried expression.

In response to her dad's question, Heather simply gasped before becoming limp in his arms. Upon seeing this, Leon sprinted over to the group and judging by the quickening footsteps behind him, Zidane was following.

Getting closer, he noticed that Heather was unconscious in Harry's arms. Fortunately, she was still breathing, albeit unevenly.

"Is she okay?" Zidane asked, as Leon looked her over for any injuries.

"I think so," Henry replied almost sounding uncertain, glancing at the worried Harry, then back to Heather. "She could be tired..."

"What happened?" Leon asked in confusion, as he took a step back after concluding that there were no visible injuries on her that could have caused this.

"I wish I knew," Harry told him with a sigh, trying to disguise his worry and keep a cool head. "We need to find somewhere for her to rest."

"Leave that to me," Leon said, as he looked his gun over to make sure the safety was off.

He had to be quick with this.

"Really? Are you sure?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I wanted to have a look around anyway."

"Umm, Leon -"

"But, the President's daughter...what about her?" James asked exactly what Harry was going to ask.

They looked at the agent with curiosity, as the agent simply said, "Well, we can't do anything while one of us is out of commission."

"Fair point," James said, looking contemplative.

"Okay, we'll get going then," Zidane piped up, turning around and sauntering past the agent. "Come on, Leon!"

"You're coming?" Leon asked with mild amusement, as he quickly caught up.

"Yeah, why not. I could back you up."

The agent chuckled. He didn't know why, but there was something funny about the kid just inviting himself along. If it were any other kid his age that did that, he would not be amused in the slightest and would have simply told them to go back. However, from what he had saw with his dodging and combat skills with Sphinx, he seemed experienced enough. That didn't mean Leon wasn't going to keep a closer eye on him, though.

Thinking back to the Sphinx fight, he remembered that the kid had near been strangled to death. After the ordeal, he seemed dazed and not as enthusiastic as before, which the agent found understandable. Not that Leon was complaining, but Zidane seemed to have gotten over it quite quickly; having his cheerful nature resurface. Maybe it was a resilience thing...

"Leon!"

Hearing his name being called out, the blonde turned to see James approaching the pair, stopping to catch his breath once he caught up.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked with slight alarm. "Has Heather's condition worsened?"

"No, I'm coming with you," he said, straightening up and gripping his steel pipe. "I think you'll need the assistance."

"It's fine, he's got me," Zidane reassured him, folding his arms above his head with a grin.

"I don't think a kid would be enough..."

"Fine, you can come, but on the condition that you follow orders," the agent then turned to Zidane. "You especially."

"Hey, you don't have to worry about me," the kid replied, holding up his hands in defence. "I'm capable enough."

"Let's just go, we don't have all day."

With that being said, the trio proceeded to make their way towards the welcome sign to see that there was a bulletin board supported by two wooden legs beside it. Pinned to it was a map of the town, which James knew all too well, a brown parcel and a note beside it.

The note read:

_**"Good for you, you made it!** _   
_**I am going under the assumption that you thought this quest was going to be a walk in the park; unfortunately for you, it is not.** _   
_**As you may have noticed, I was not jesting when I told you I based the island's design on the town of Silent Hill, my reasons shall be made known soon enough.** _   
_**Also, you may be wondering where you can find the girl, since that is your objective after all.** _   
_**You see, the path is not linear, meaning you will have to find her yourself; a linear path is not a very exciting one, is it?** _   
_**How will you know where to look?** _   
_**Fortunately for you, I will provide you with one clue that should be pretty straightforward.** _   
_**And that will be all. One clue. One single clue. Then, you are on your own.** _   
_**What could this clue be? A note? An object?** _   
_**Either way, the clue will give you an idea where the girl is.** _   
_**But wait, there is also a catch.** _   
_**You may know where she is, but that does not mean your quest is going to be a walk in the park...** _   
_**Getting to the location will not be made simple.** _   
_**How? You have to wait and see.** _   
_**Let us not delay this any further.** _   
_**Open the parcel sitting beside this note; that is the clue.** _   
_**To be a good hostess, I shall wish you luck.** _   
_**~Your Saviour** _   
_**P.S. - To help you out, take the map I have provided, as well as the pen; they will come in handy, I assure you."** _

Taking in what the note was saying, Leon felt that this was suspiciously generous. What was the catch here? From the corner of his eye, he saw James yank the map from the board, whilst Zidane grabbed the parcel and proceeded to shake it.

"Aww, this was so kind of her, it's not even my birthday," Zidane chuckled, as he felt around to get an idea of what could be inside. "I don't think it's Christmas either."

"That's the clue she mentioned," Leon stated, hiding his growing impatience. "According to the note, that parcel will give us an idea where Ashley is."

Without prompting, Zidane ripped the brown wrapping paper, revealing a pink plush rabbit in red dungarees. A yellow bow tie was sewn to its chest and a wide grin was present on its face. Leon looked at the toy in perplexion, as did the blonde holding it as he checked to see if there was anything of significance on the rabbit, or a rip to check inside. Shaking his head, Zidane turned to the agent and shrugged.

"So, we've just been given a toy to work with?" Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This will get us nowhere."

"Don't say that, this clue is very useful if you think about it!" Zidane placed the toy on his belt and tapped it with a grin. "The clue could be as simple as this little guy being the lead character in a cartoon that kids liked..."

He trailed off with a frown, tapping his chin in thought. Leon simply stared, waiting for the kid to get to the point. Glancing at James, the agent noticed that he wasn't listening to their conversation and was instead engrossed in the map.

"...in an orphanage..." Leon heard the kid mumble to himself. "...or a studio..."

"Kid, are you getting anywhere with this?" The agent asked impatiently, shaking Zidane out of his thoughts. "We're on a time limit..."

"Yeah, I know," Zidane sighed, as he turned to the blonde reading the map. "Hey, James!"

Said man jumped slightly, looking at the monkey boy quizzically. "Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

James simply nodded, the puzzled look staying.

"You've been here before, so you would know what tourist spots and stuff are here, right?"

"How do you -" James looked unnerved, before Zidane cleared it up.

"That lady over the speaker...remember?"

He thought for a moment, then his eyes flashed with recognition.

**_"James Sunderland not only braved the horrors of that town, but also discovered a shocking revelation about himself, one he does not wish to share."_ **

"Oh...right..."

"I'll get to the point; is there an orphanage here, or even a studio?"

James raised an eyebrow at this question, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought about it.

"An orphanage? Yes, I think so," he replied. "I'm not sure about a studio, why?"

"According to the note, this is our clue to find the President's daughter," Zidane told him, handing him the plush rabbit he un-wrapped. "But, it's just a toy, you know."

The man stared at it, before handing it back to the kid.

"That's Robbie the Rabbit," James stated, looking back at the map. "Lakeside Amusement Park's mascot, or the most well known one, anyway..."

Zidane's face lit up like a Christmas tree, as he turned back to the agent who stared slightly dumbfounded. Were they seriously holding her hostage at an amusement park?

Strapping 'Robbie' to his belt once more, Zidane approached the agent with a spring in his step.

"Okay, now we're sorted, Leon!" He said cheerfully, patting Leon on the arm. "Don't worry, we'll find her!"

"They're holding her hostage at an amusement park?" Leon couldn't believe how ridiculous that was, then again he shouldn't have been surprised; he'd seen weirder. Focusing on the situation at hand, he turned to the man with the map. "Where is it, James?"

"Just past Nathan Avenue," he replied, placing the map in his pocket. "But, we have to pay Jack's Inn a visit."

"We've got no time for -"

"Remember Heather, Leon?" James reminded him. "She is in no state to continue and we promised Harry we would find a place for her to rest."

Leon felt like he had been mentally slapped; how did he forget that?

"Yeah, 'we can't do anything while one of us is out of commission,' remember?" Zidane wrapped his arm around the agent, or as close as he could get to that with Leon being taller. "You said that not too long ago."

"I know..." The agent shook his head. "Let's go to Jack's Inn, not only would it be a place to have Heather rest, but we can discuss further plans."

"Right, let's go back," James said, as he started to walk ahead.

Zidane let go of Leon and went to follow, before Leon grabbed his shoulder.

"When we get to the Inn, do you want to be looked over for any injuries...?"

"You mean have my neck looked at," he replied, rubbing the area with a wince. "It kinda hurts, so I guess having it checked won't hurt..."

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

In a dimly lit room, a hooded figure sat on a throne crossed legged. Half of the face was covered by a purple masquerade mask with elaborate, golden patterns engraved into it; the other half of the face was covered by a purple scarf that matched the colour of the hooded cloak worn. Beside the throne, where two other figures wearing black hooded cloaks, one on each side. They simply wore gas masks to conceal their faces. Approaching the throne was another hooded figure; this one wearing red and using a golden cat mask to hide it's face.

Kneeling on one knee, he bowed to the figure on the throne, saying, "Ma'am?"

"Sphinx..." Saviour sighed, leaning back and folding her arms. "I have awaited your arrival."

"Yes, and I am very sorry to have kept you waiting," he replied, bowing even lower than he was originally. Fear was present in his voice and he shook on the ground.

In response, the self proclaimed 'Saviour' shook her head.

"You mustn't say such things, you must prove your sincerity through your actions alone," she looked down at her gloved hands, before standing and approaching Sphinx. "Words without heart are of no use to me."

Standing in front of him now, she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Stand and look at me in the eye," she said with mild frustration, prompting him to obey. "Let us get to the point of your summoning, Sphinx. Do you have an idea as to why I have called you here?"

"Umm..." he stammered, before finally answering. "Is it what happened in the Inferno Room?"

"Correct," she turned around and sat back on the throne. "You almost killed them Sphinx, especially the boy..."

"Yeah..."

"...and the girl..." she took a deep breath. "I told you that no harm were to come to those three, they are pieces for later."

"I know..."

"So, why did you try to asphyxiate Zidane and impale Alessa with a spear?"

"Alessa?"

"You know who I mean, Sphinx..." she sighed in exasperation, collapsing into the cushions of the throne. In response, the two figures by the throne grabbed a large leaf each and proceeded to fan her.

"They thwarted our plans, master," Sphinx stuttered. "I thought I did good! I'm -"

"Oh, shut it!" Saviour stood, startling the cloaked men fanning her. "That little slip up aside, you did quite well. I am impressed..."

"Really?"

She nodded, sitting back down.

"You are being assigned a new task, one I think you might enjoy."

"I'm listening, ma'am..."

"I have come to regret what I have started and instead, I now opt to just get on with what I want to do," looking at both figures beside her, she looked at Sphinx. "I want you to bring me the monkey boy and Alessa, in what order is of no matter to me, I just want them here..."

"Alright, but what about...?"

"Leon...? Kidnapping one of his allies should lure him here, which is also something I want, so worrying about him would only serve to waste your energy."

"Right," Sphinx turned to leave, but paused. "Do you have their location, Saviour?"

"Before I decided against my original plan, I left them a note that should take them to Lakeside Amusement Park with the belief that Ashley is being held there. Whether they choose to follow that trail or not is up to them," Saviour pulled a small device out from her cloak. "If they do though, they will be faced with another small quest, before they get in. I am tracking them however, so no matter where they are, I will let you know. Be warned that I am also going to let our new creations out for some exercise, so be mindful of that."

"Roger."

And with that, Sphinx left, leaving Saviour with the cloaked men beside her. The room was filled with an almost tranquil silence, before her radio buzzed.

"Saviour, this is Kilo of the Autumn Squad reporting!" A voice said frantically through the speaker. "We have a problem, over!"

Sighing, she picked up her radio.

"What is it?" She growled.

"We appear to have a breach...miss..."

"What?!"

"Yeah...and the President's daughter has been taken..."

_'It's just one thing after another...'_

"You had one job..." Saviour breathed through her teeth, grip on the radio tightening.

"I'm sorry..."

"Find her, or it will be the underground for you...!"

"Yes, of course! Kilo out!"

Pressing another button on the radio, she released a shaky sigh.

"Delta, I have a role for you and your squad today..."

* * *

Getting to the Inn was easier than Leon had expected; there were no monsters, no obstacles, nothing that posed a threat. There were just a lot of buildings that he had no interest exploring. He just wanted to get to the amusement park and save Ashley, but it was necessary to allow Heather to rest first. They couldn't carry her everywhere.

So, while she rested, everyone was left to their own devices. Leon himself was just leaning on the wall by the door, observing his surroundings and thinking about what their next course of action should be. Next to him was James, who was reading the map intently to re-familiarise himself with the town. Zidane was sat on the other bed in the room, staring blankly at his unsheathed daggers, probably trying not to think about the pain in his neck; the pain, Leon found out after taking a look at it, was caused by a bruise starting to form. Heather was resting on one of the beds in the room with Harry and Henry sitting beside her. The former held her hand tight with a troubled expression on his face; it wasn't difficult to figure out what was bothering the man.

With the group not being in a state to progress, they were stuck for now. However, that didn't mean they couldn't plot what to do next.

"Okay, we need a plan," Leon said, immediately breaking the silence in the room.

Looking up from his daughter for the first time since they entered the Inn, Harry nodded in agreement.

"You said you found a note with a clue and a map?" He asked.

"Yeah," the agent replied, glancing at the pink rabbit plushie still resting on Zidane's belt. "They point to us heading to the amusement park."

"Oh...that place..." Harry mumbled, looking back down at Heather. "Let's hope we can find the girl..."

"We will," Zidane reassured, sheathing his daggers. "Right, Leon?"

"We have to," Leon replied. "If we don't..."

The sentence didn't need to be finished for the group to know what he was getting at. If Ashley wasn't found, she would be faced with an undesirable fate, they all would. Silence filled the room, before it was broken by James.

"I'll go and see what's ahead," he said, turning to the door. "I won't be long."

"I'm going with you," Henry suddenly offered, standing from his position. "It could be dangerous on your own."

"Be careful," Harry warned, before the pair left the room.

It happened too fast for Leon to intervene; now it was just him, Zidane, Harry, and an unconscious Heather in the room. It was quiet for a bit when Harry abruptly said something that made the agent's blood run cold.

"Henry coughed up blood while we were split up," he stated gravely. "I had a feeling it was something to do with the parasite, considering he has no visible injuries, but I wanted confirmation from you due to your previous experience..."

"You're not wrong," Leon replied, looking troubled himself. "The egg has hatched, so Henry has to remain calm, or..."

"He'll become a marionette..."

"Close enough," Leon sighed. "Heather is in the same boat..."

"She coughed up blood...?"

"Yeah..."

"What about Zidane...?"

"I..." Zidane hesitated, looking down at his hands. "...might have less time than you guys..."

Harry stood and looked at him with alarm.

"What?!"

"Yeah...I coughed up blood for the first time after Leon was thrown into my cell..."

"No..." Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Why...what does this woman want with the kids...my own daughter and some other person's child...they're probably worried sick!"

"I'm orphaned actually..." Zidane sighed and stood up to stretch. "Don't know who my real parents are, or where I was even born."

"Heather's no different," Harry looked over at her to see that she was still sleeping soundly.

"Wait...I thought -" Leon was interrupted by Harry.

"She's my adopted daughter," he clarified. "...I...found her in Silent Hill after my experience..."

Leon thought something was off with his delivery, but before he could ponder, he felt something in his pocket. When he took it out, he saw that it was a cylinder container with pills inside. He immediately recognised them as the pills Louis gave him before he died; these pills served to suppress the growth of Las Plaugas within its host, which bought him more time to save Ashley. He forgot he had these and was surprised that 'Saviour' hadn't taken them off him. But would they help? It was worth a shot...

"Hey, Zidane."

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

With a look of mild confusion, Zidane made his way over to the agent.

"What's up?"

"Here, take these," Leon told him, placing three of the pills in his hand. "Look after them, they should help."

"Leon, I know the situation sucks, but..." He looked at the pills closely, before trying to hand them back with a chuckle. "What are these? Happy pills?"

"No, they should buy you more time," the agent gave them back, closing Zidane's palm. "They suppress the parasite for a bit."

This got Harry's attention, as he approached Leon.

"I'm guessing it has dosage requirements?" He asked.

"Yeah, we'll wait for Henry and James before handing more of them out."

After the agent said that, the door opened with two concerned looking men emerging.

"Henry? James? What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"The gate to Lakeside Amusement Park is locked," Henry stated. "There was a note on the door saying that the key was around town somewhere."

"You're kidding..." Leon and Harry said simultaneously.

"No...and James..."

"Henry..." Harry looked on with worry, as did Leon and Zidane.

Henry didn't have to finish his sentence, as James held up his hands to reveal blood on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope things are interesting now. Also, I hope that this chapter was enjoyable. If there are any problems with it, let me know.
> 
> Improvements are appreciated, please tell me what I did right, wrong and how I can improve. If you would like, you could also favourite and follow this fic, as well as suggest ideas for future chapters. R&R and thanks for reading!


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